LOCATION ANDRECITO               NM

Established Series
Rev GWC-DAW
03/2016

ANDRECITO SERIES


The Andrecito series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on playas and playa steps. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Gypseous-skeletal, hypergypsic, thermic Oxyaquic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Andrecito channery gypsiferous sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

Cyy--0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 cm); very pale brown (10YR 8/3) channery gypsiferous sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/3), moist; 3 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; common medium interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; 20 percent, flat, angular, very strongly cemented, 2 to 150 millimeter, gypsum crystal fragments; slightly effervescent, 0 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 71 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 4.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; clear smooth boundary.

Cyyz--5 to 41.5 inches (13 to 105 cm); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) extremely channery gypsiferous coarse sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), moist; 2 percent clay; massive; moderately hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few medium roots throughout; common medium interstitial pores; salt, finely disseminated and carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; 80 percent, flat, angular, very strongly cemented, 2 to 150 millimeter, gypsum crystal fragments; slightly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 73 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 10.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; clear smooth boundary.

Cnyyzg--41.5 to 60 inches (105 to 152 cm); light gray (N 7) gypsiferous sandy loam, gray (N 6), moist; 12 percent clay; massive; moderately hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common medium interstitial pores; salt, finely throughout and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; noneffervescent, 0 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 76 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 30.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico. USGS Heart of the Sands SE; approximately 13.3 miles west of the intersection of US Hwy 70 and the entrance to White Sands National Monument; 76 feet south and 1,310 feet east of the northwest corner of Section 2, Township 18 S, Range 5 E. Latitude: 32 degrees 46 minutes 50.7 seconds north Longitude: 106 degrees 24 minutes 24.50 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 368253 meters UTM Northing: 3627857 meters. UTM zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime based on precipitation. The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 2 to 5 percent
Rock Fragments: 35 to 85 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: slightly saline to moderately saline
Percent calcium carbonate: 0 to 5 percent
Percent gypsum: 40 to 95 percent

Cyy and Cyyz horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 7 to 8 dry, 6 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous coarse sand, gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous loamy sand
Clay: 2 to 5 percent
Rock Fragments: 15 to 85 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to moderately saline

Cnyyzg horizons
Hue: 2.5Y, N
Value: 7 to 8 dry, 5 to 6 moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loam
Clay: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Andrecito soils are on playas and playa steps. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed from gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,890 to 3,920 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lark (NM), Llano (NM), Salago (NM) and the Torbellino (NM) soils. Lark soils have a sandy particle-size control section. Llano soils have a shallow petrogypsic horizon and have a salic horizon, Salago soils have a salic horizon, Torbellino soils lack a water table.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is iodine bush, tamarisk, alkali sacaton and ephedra.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Andrecito is of limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands National Monument, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, 2015. The name Andrecito is derived from an arroyo that terminates in Lake Lucero, NM.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Cyy and Cyyz horizons)

Endosaturation - the zone from 47 to 60 inches (Cnyyzg horizon)

Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014

Revised for the correlation of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico; April, 2015, NMS


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.