LOCATION BAYLOR             NM 
Established Series
Rev. LHG/CEM/PDC
05/2006

BAYLOR SERIES


The Baylor series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in alluvium and colluvium derived dominantly from igneous rocks. Baylor soils are on alluvial fans, fan piedmonts, terraces, ridge sides and Holocene fault scarps with slopes of 4 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 60 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, thermic Torriorthentic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Baylor extremely stony loamy sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely stony loamy sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse platy structure; soft and loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 30 percent stones, 40 percent cobble and 5 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

A2--3 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) extremely stony sandy loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 30 percent stones, 40 percent cobble and 5 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

A3--7 to 17 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) extremely stony loamy sand, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 25 percent stones, 40 percent cobble and 10 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

A4--17 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) extremely stony loamy sand, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 25 percent stones, 40 percent cobble and 10 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

A5--22 to 27 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely stony loamy sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 25 percent stones, 40 percent cobble and 10 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

CA1--27 to 33 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; mixed pockets of materials that are either massive and soft or single grain and loose; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 60 percent cobble and 15 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

CA2--33 to 44 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; mixed pockets of materials that are either massive and soft or single grain and loose; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 60 percent cobble and 15 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)

C--44 to 63 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; 60 percent cobble and 15 percent gravel; neutral.

TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, (Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project), New Mexico; 70 feet south of arroyo; SE 1/4, SE 1/4, SW 1/4, of Section 23, T.22 S., R.4 E.; 106 degrees 30 minutes 42 seconds west longitude, 32 degrees, 22 minutes 25 seconds north latitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and December through April. Driest during May and June. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 59 to 65 degrees F.

Clay content: 1 to 10 percent

Rock fragments: Averages 35 to 75 percent in the particle-size control section

Thickness of mollic epipedon: 10 to 27 inches

Reaction - ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand

C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Baylor soils are slightly concave and on alluvial fans, piedmonts, terraces, ridge sides and Holocene fault scarps. Slopes range from 4 to 35 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 5,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 13 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 63 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 160 to 190 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aladdin, Caralampi, Coxranch, Earp, Hawkeye, Holliday, Nolam and Terino soils. Aladdin and Hawkeye are coarse-loamy and sandy, respectively. Caralampi, Coxranch, Earp, Holliday, Nolam and Terino soils have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes black grama, sideoats grama, lovegrass, snakeweed, mesquite, Mormon tea, catclaw, prickly pear, buckwheat and burro bush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. The series is of small extent. MLRA is 42.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; (Desert Project); 1997.

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

Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 27 inches (A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 horizons)

This series represents an identified soil on the Cox Ranch near the Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project, Las Cruces, New Mexico. The project was a study of soils and geomorphology in an arid and semi-arid environment. The series is extensively referenced in many documents, publications and thesis. Revision outside the project area is discouraged in order to preserve the historical concept for research.

Recent evidence in Texas and Arizona suggests soils within this precipitation zone and MLRA are moist in some part of the mollic epipedon less than 90 days cumulative and therefore do not meet the moisture requirements for a mollic epipedon. Alternative subgroups are Ustic Torriorthents or Ustic Haplocambids.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data from the pedon at site 1 (in Gile, L.H. 1987. Late Holocene Displacement Along The Organ Mountains Fault In Southern New Mexico. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Circular 196) support the classification. Data from pedons at two additional sites in the same report also illustrate Baylor soils.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.