LOCATION BLAMER NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Ruptic-Lithic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Blamer very stony loam, wooded. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi & Oe--0 to 1 inch; undecomposed to partially decomposed leaves, needles, and woody twigs. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very stony loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine interstitial pores; 10 percent angular sandstone gravel, 15 percent angular cobble, 10 percent stones; noncalcareous; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very stony loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine to medium roots; common fine interstitial pores; 10 percent angular sandstone gravel, 20 percent angular cobble, 25 percent stones; noncalcareous; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
C--16 to 31 inches; highly fractured sandstone and hard, fine textured shales, with soil material similar to that of the B2 horizon occurring in fractures of the upper part but decreasing with depth to bedrock. (2 to 20 inches thick)
R--31 inches; hard sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; about 1 1/4 miles southwest of Blake Well on north side of road near the west 1/4 corner of the NW1/4 SE1/4 sec. 23, T.12S., R.12E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock is dominantly between 20 and 40 inches but parts of each pedon are between 9 and 20 inches deep to bedrock.
The coarse fragments in the control section range from 35 to 85 percent.
The solum is typically noncalcareous but may be slightly calcareous in the lower part.
Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 degrees to 47 degrees F.,
Mean summer soil temperature more than 47 degrees F.
Soil Moisture - These soils are usually moist in the moisture control section. Typic ustic moisture regime.
The solum ranges from slightly alkaline through slightly acid.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Organic matter: 2 to 10 percent
Texture: loam or clay loam containing 18 to 35 percent clay modified with cobble.
Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3, 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent stones.
C horizon
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blamer soils are on strongly sloping to very steeply sloping and rolling mountain slopes at elevations of 6,900 to 8,200 feet. The soils formed in materials weathered from sandstone and shale. Mean annual precipitation is about 20 inches with a pronounced summer maximum. The average annual temperature is about 42 degrees to 45 degrees F. The Thornthwaite P-E Index is about 28 to 43.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Jose, Mescalero and Pinkel soils. Jose and Mescalero soils lack bedrock within 20 inches and have mollic epipedons thick than 16 inches. Pinkel soils have mean annual temperatures greater than 47 degrees F. and have 35 percent or more coarse fragments in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native range, woodland, recreation, watershed, and wildlife. Principle native vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, mountain brome, bluestem and oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of south central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County (Mescalero-Apache Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 1 to 16 inches (A, Bw horizons)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 5 to 16 inches (Bw horizon)
Ruptic-Lithic feature - Depth to bedrock is dominantly between 20 and 40 inches but parts of each pedon are between 9 and 20 inches deep to bedrock
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003