LOCATION ALCALDE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Vertic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Alcalde clay - urban land. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine granular structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine irregular discontinuous pores; vertical cracks 1 inch wide; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--3 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular discontinuous pores; few small pressure faces; vertical cracks 1 inch wide; few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 11 inches thick)
Bk2--13 to 32 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular discontinuous pores; few small pressure faces; few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (17 to 20 inches thick)
Bk3--32 to 62 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine irregular discontinuous pores; few small pressure faces; few medium soft masses of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent, strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico; .1 mile due south of the Drive-In Theater in Espanola, State Plan Coordinates 1,825,400 feet north and 554,000 feet east: 106 degrees, 33 minutes, 54 seconds west longitude; 36 degrees, 01 minutes, 03 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Usually dry, intermittently moist in some part of the moisture control section in July through October. Driest period is during May and June.
Soil Temperature - 51 to 53 degrees F.
Percent clay in control section - 40 to 55 percent.
Percent calcium carbonate in Bk horizons - 5 to 10 percent.
Salinity- 8 to 16 mmhos/cm
Reaction - 8.5 to 9.0 pH
Sodicity- SAR 8 to 16
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: clay
Bk horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Clay or clay loam
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Denco T(UT) series. The Denco soils are moderately deep to shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alcalde soils are on stream terraces and flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Elevations are 5,500 to 6,100 feet. The soils formed in fine textured alluvium from mixed sources. Mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F and the frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abiquiu, Gilco and Jocity soils. The Abiquiu soils have a seasonally shallow water table. The Gilco soils are in the coarse-loamy family. The Jocity soils are in the fine-loamy family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Alcalde soils are used for urban development and irrigated cropland. The native vegetation is grasses, greasewood, and rabbitbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 3 inches (A horizon).
Vertic feature: Characteristics of soil cracking from the surface to a depth of 13 inches and pressure faces throughout.
Entisol feature: Lack of diagnostic horizons to a depth of 60 inches.