LOCATION BIGETTY NM+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bigetty sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate subangular structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine, medium and very fine roots; common fine, very fine and few medium pores; few fine calcium carbonate filaments; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bw2--16 to 44 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; few fine distinct masses of calcium carbonate; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
Bk1--44 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; many fine and medium distinct and weakly cemented nodules and fine masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
Bk2--60 to 71 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine pores; many fine and medium distinct weakly cemented nodules and fine masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Eddy County, New Mexico; in a drainageway on west side of Highway 30, about 990 feet west and 1,650 feet south of NE corner of sec. 3, T.21S., R.29E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - dry in all parts above 12 inches for more than 1/2 the time the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Aridic Ustic soil moisture regime. Geographically associated soils are in the Ustic Aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 64 to 66 degrees F.
Particle size control section - 27 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, clay loam, loam, silty clay loam
Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: stratified silt loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Other features: This horizon has less than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent to depths greater than 40 inches. Cobbly, gravelly or sandy loam strata occur below depth of 40 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bergstrom (TX), Iraan (TX) and Port (OK) series. Bergstrom and Iraan soils have a cambic horizons thicker than 60 inches. Port soils are noncalcareous to depths of 20 inches or more. All soils are moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June and occur in the Great Plains.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on flood plains of intermittent streams and in depressional areas. Elevations range from 3,100 to 4,500 feet. The slopes are concave and mostly of less than 1 percent, ranging up to 3 percent. The soils formed in medium to moderately fine textured silty alluvial materials low in carbonates, with small amounts of eolian material. The climate is arid to semiarid with mean annual precipitation of 10 to 14 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges between 60 degrees to 64 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Atoka, Holloman, Reakor, Reeves, Simona, Tencee, and Upton soils. Holloman and Reeves soils are on the uplands and have gypsic horizons. Reakor soils are on the uplands, knolls of the uplands and have petrocalcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is slow to medium. The soil is subject to occasional, very brief overflow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grazing and irrigated cropland. Crops are mainly alfalfa, cotton and sorghum. Native vegetation is mainly giant sacaton, alkali sacaton, vine-mesquite, tobosa, blue grama, buffalograss, burrograss and widely spaced mesquite and cholla cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The southern Pecos and Rio Grande Valleys of Texas and New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chaves County, New Mexico, Southern Part, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 44 inches (A and Bw horizons)
Cumulic feature - mollic thicker than 20 inches
The soil occurs in water receiving landscape positions.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Update and revisions for the Recorrelation of Brewster County, Texas, Main Part, 2/7/08, CEM.