LOCATION AEROBEE                 NM

Established Series
GWC
12/2014

AEROBEE SERIES

The Aerobee series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian modified gypsiferous fine-loamy alluvium. These nearly level soils are on interdunes, basin floors, and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, gypsic, thermic Leptic Haplogypsids

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

Ay--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 23 percent clay; moderate thin and medium platy over weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots throughout; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; strongly effervescent, 14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 5 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 2.3 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear smooth boundary.

By1--2 to 16 inches (5 to 40 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 21 percent clay; moderate coarse prismatic parts to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; strongly effervescent, 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 32 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.5; electrical conductivity 7.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual smooth boundary.

By2--16 to 32 inches (40 to 80 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; 21 percent clay; moderate coarse prismatic parts to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; strongly effervescent, 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 30 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 5.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

By3--32 to 44 inches (80 to 110 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 22 percent clay; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 38 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 5.6 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

By4--44 to 59 inches (110 to 150 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist; 10 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots throughout; few very fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 42 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 4.1 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

2Cy--59 to 60 inches (150 to 152 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous loamy sand, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist; 3 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; carbonate, finely disseminated and many fine irregular gypsum crystals, throughout; very slightly effervescent, 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 43 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 4.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 8.86 miles east and 3.58 miles south of the intersection of Range Roads 6 and 7, Rhodes Canyon; 1,899 feet east and 3,446 feet south of the NW corner of Section 7, Township 14 S, Range 7 E. USGS Quad 15 Mile Lake. Latitude: 33 degrees 6 minutes 33.54 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 20 minutes 8.69 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 375500 meters UTM Northing: 3664193 meters. UTM zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly or slightly saline
Gypsum content: 15 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Gypsum content: 5 to 20 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to slightly saline

By horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay
Clay content: 10 to 42 percent, averages more than 18 percent clay
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
Gypsum content: 7 to 45 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly to moderately saline

Cy horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, sandy loam, loamy sand
Clay content: 5 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Gypsum content: 15 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly to moderately saline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aerobee soils are on interdunes, basin floors, and alluvial flats. Slope is 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in eolian modified gypsiferous fine-loamy alluvium. Elevation ranges from 3,950 to 4,490 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls in all months as gentle winter storms and with increased amounts during high intensity summer storms. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shrike (T) (NM), Shot, and Hembrillo series. Shrike soils are on interdunes and contain a fine-loamy lacustrine layer beneath the sandy particle-size control section. Shot soils are on dunes and have a sandy particle-size control section. Hembrillo soils are on dunes and do not have pedogenic gypsum masses.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, four wing saltbush, Torrey's ephedra, Berlandier's wolfberry.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Aerobee is derived from an Aerobee Sounding Rocket used to lift pay loads into space tested on White Sands Missile Range.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (By1, By2, By3, horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Gypsic horizon - the zone from 2 to 59 inches (By 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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.