LOCATION ARMENDARIS              NM

Established Series
Rev: JVC/WRJ/RJA
11/2014

ARMENDARIS SERIES

The Armendaris series consists of deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in alluvium derived from loess. Armendaris soils are in circular shaped depressions associated with lava flows. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 9 inches and average annual air temperature is about 59 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Armendaris silt loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak medium plates; soft, very friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt1--2 to 5 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine continuous tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

Bt2--5 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and very plastic; common fine and few very fine roots; few very fine continuous tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

Bt3--15 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and very plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine continuous tubular pores within peds; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)

Bt4--26 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine continuous tubular pores within peds; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)

Bk1--35 to 41 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine vesicular and fine continuous tubular pores within peds; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonates disseminated throughout soil matrix and also segregated in few fine filaments; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)

Bk2--41 to 49 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine vesicular and fine continuous tubular pores within peds; slightly effervescent, calcium carbonates disseminated throughout soil matrix and also segregated in few fine filaments; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

C--49 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine vesicular and continuous tubular pores; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Socorro County, New Mexico; about 28 miles south of San Antonio on the large lava flow in the Jornada del Muerto basin; about 1/2 mile west of the Crater Well Corrals and about 200 feet north of the ranch road; l050 feet north and 275 feet west of the southeast corner of section 13, T. 9 S., R. l W. (projected)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Typically some or all parts of the control section are intermittently moist from July to September following convective storms. Typic aridic moisture regime.

Depth to the base of the Bt ranges from - 32 to 38 inches.

Depth to visible secondary carbonates ranges from - 32 to 38 inches. The profile is noncalcareous above these depths.

Calcium carbonate equivalent in the horizons of secondary accumulation ranges from - 1 to 3 percent.

Organic carbon as a weighted average is greater than - 0.60 in the top 16 inches of soil.

Rock fragments range from - 0 to 2 percent fine basalt pebbles in the control section.

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist

Bt horizon:
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, silty clay loam
Clay: 35 to 50 percent
Averages Sand: less than 20 percent

Bk, BC and/or C horizons:
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, loam, silty clay loam
Clay: 25 to 48 percent
Sand: less than 30 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Vekol (AZ), and Yribarren (CA) series.
Vekol soil has 5YR hue in the particle size control section.
Yribarren soils have hue yellower than 7.5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Armendaris soils are in circular depressions or "potholes" associated with lava flows of the Jornada del Muerto basin. These depressions may be related to underlying collapsed lava tubes. Armendaris soils formed in alluvium derived from loess which was blown onto the flows. Slopes range from 0 to l percent. Elevation ranges from 4,600 to 5,000 feet. The average annual precipitation is 8 to l0 inches with the peak season being July, August, and September. The average annual air temperature is 57 to 70 degrees F. The average frost-free period is l80 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aftaden, Akela, Berino, Bluepoint, Dona Ana, Pajarito and Wink soils. Aftaden and Akela soils are shallow to basalt rock. Berino and Dona Ana soils are in fine-loamy families and have calcic horizons above 40 inches. Bluepoint soils are in a sandy family. Pajarito and Wink soils are in coarse-loamy families.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Armendaris soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is blue grama, tobosa, burrograss, vine-mesquite, cane bluestem and Mormon-tea.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Armendaris soils are of small extent in south central New Mexico. MLRA 42.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Socorro County, New Mexico, l984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of l3 cm. (A, and BA, horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from l3 to 89 cm. (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

ADDITIONAL DATA:

Lab sample 77-NM-028-4 (1-l0) verifies organic carbon.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.