LOCATION BASSO NM

Established Series
Rev. GC/WWJ
12/2014

BASSO SERIES

The Basso series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in loamy gypsiferous alluvium. These nearly level soils are on basin floors and alluvial flats. Slope ranges from 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, gypsic, thermic Typic Argigypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Basso fine sandy loam -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3), moist; 22 percent clay; moderate thick platy over moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; few medium and common fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 1.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; clear wavy boundary.

Bw--2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3), moist; 24 percent clay; moderate coarse parts to moderate medium parts to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine medium and coarse roots between peds; few fine and medium dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; strongly effervescent, 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 0.7 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Bk--8 to 13 inches (20 to 33 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4), moist; 28 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots between peds; common fine dendritic tubular pores; common fine spherical carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6; electrical conductivity 2.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; clear wavy boundary.

Btk--13 to 18 inches (33 to 46 cm); reddish brown (5YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4), moist; 33 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parts to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few very fine, fine and between peds; few fine dendritic tubular pores; few distinct clay films on all faces of peds; gypsum, finely disseminated throughout and common fine and medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; strongly effervescent, 9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 3 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6; electrical conductivity 3.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Btky1--18 to 34 inches (46 to 86 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous sandy clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4), moist; 32 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parts to moderate coarse subangular blocky parts to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few very fine roots throughout and common fine roots between peds; few fine dendritic tubular pores; few faint clay films on all faces of peds; common fine irregular carbonate masses throughout and many fine spherical gypsum crystals throughout; violently effervescent, 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 27 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 4.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 3.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Btky2--34 to 44 inches (86 to 112 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/3) clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4), moist; 38 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parts to moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few very fine roots throughout and common fine roots between peds; few fine dendritic tubular pores; very few faint clay films on surfaces along pores; many medium spherical gypsum crystals, on faces of peds and common medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; violently effervescent, 34 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 13 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 7.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 10.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Btkyz--44 to 60 inches (112 to 152 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/3) gypsiferous clay, light brown (7.5YR 6/4), moist; 40 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parts to moderate medium subangular blocky parts to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout and common fine roots between peds; few fine dendritic tubular pores; few prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on all faces of peds; many medium spherical gypsum crystals on faces of peds and many coarse irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; violently effervescent, 43 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 21 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 8.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; sodium adsorption ratio 14.0.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 7.5 miles East and 6.1 miles North of White Sands Missile Range Headquarters.; 2471 feet East & 1753 feet South of the Northwest corner of Section 20, Township 21 South, Range 6 East; USGS topographic quadrangle White Sands NE, NAD83; 32 degrees 28 minutes 10.96 seconds North latitude and 10 degrees 21 minutes 5.73 seconds West longitude; UTM 372,984 meters East, 3593,305 meters North, zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. 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.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Depth to calcic horizon: 15 to 60 inches

Depth to gypsic horizon: 15 to 60 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Coarse fragment content: none
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to strongly saline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam
Clay: 8 to 27 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam
Clay: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay
Clay: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to very slightly saline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent

Btk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry to moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam
Clay: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly saline to slightly saline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent

Btky and Btkyz horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy clay loam, clay loam, gypsiferous clay loam, gypsiferous clay
Clay: 20 to 60 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly saline to strongly saline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 45 percent
Gypsum: 13 to 30 percent

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Basso soils are on basin floors and alluvial flats. These soils formed in loamy gypsiferous alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days. Elevation ranges from 3,940 to 4,050 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Copia, Elizario, Mcnew, Peligro and Talos soils. Copia soils are sandy and are on coppice dunes. Elizario and Mcnew soils are on are on slightly depressed and slightly higher positions respectively of the alluvial flat of the basin floor. Peligro soils are formed in eolian gypsiferous sediments on lunettes or parna dunes. Talos soils are fine textured.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for military exercises and weapons testing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type and consists of burrograss, mesquite, 4 wing salt bush, prickly pear, alkali sacaton, strawberry hedgehog, Christmas cactus, crucifixion thorn, berlandiers wolfberry, and dwarf desert holly.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Update Soil Survey of White Sands Missile Range; Otero County, New Mexico; 2014.

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

Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk, Btk, Btky1, and Btky2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon- the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A and Bw horizons)

Cambic horizon- the zone from 2 to 8 inches (Bw horizon)

Argillic horizon- the zone from 13 to 34 inches (Btk and Btky1 horizons)

Gypsic horizon- the zone from 18 to 42 inches, (Btky1, Btky2 and Btkyz horizons)

Basso: Named after the Basso Four Mine Capitol Peak Quad, New Mexico

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

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.