LOCATION BERWOLF NM+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Berwolf fine sandy loam, on a southeast-facing, slightly convex, 1 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 4,715 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 28 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)
Bt1--28 to 51 cm; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--51 to 86 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (33 to 89 cm; combined thickness of Bt horizons.)
BCk1--86 to 114 cm; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine masses and few medium nodules of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 43 cm thick)
BCk2--114 to 200 cm; pink (5YR 8/3) fine sandy loam, reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many large masses and nodules of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: De Baca County, New Mexico; From the intersection of U. S. Highway 84 and New Mexico Highway 252 in Taiban, about 6 miles north on New Mexico Highway 252; 1 mile west; then 0.25 miles northwest on south side of road; sec. 19, T.4 N., R. 28 E. in rangeland; Latitude: 34 degrees, 33 minutes, 12 seconds N; Longitude: 104 degrees, 02 minutes, 38 seconds W; Candy Mesa, New Mexico USGS quad; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for 205 days to 270 days, cumulative, in normal years.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15 to 17 degrees C.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to calcic horizon: 75 to 150 cm.
Solum thickness: 150 to 200 cm.
Particle-size control section: less than 18 percent silicate clay.
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 6
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 8
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam
Particle size control section: 10 to 18 percent silicate clay; more than 52 percent sand.
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: moderately alkaline
BCk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 8
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: more than 15 percent.
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Gyberg (AZ) series. Similar soils include the
Berino,
Onite,
Palma, and
Redona series.
Gyberg series: has dense, compacted, alluvial sediments in the substratum below 100 cm. from the soil surface.
Berino and Onite series: are dry in the soil moisture control section for longer periods of time.
Palma series: has a mesic temperature regime.
Redona series: has 18 to 35 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Sandy sediments from weathered redbed sandstones and shales of Triassic age. Variable amounts of reworked alluvium from the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age may be incorporated in this clastic parent material.
Landform: plains, hillslopes, and high terraces on an undulating landscape.
Slopes: 0 to 5 percent.
Mean annual temperature: 14 to 16 degrees C. (57 to 60 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 305 to 406 mm. (12 to 16 inches).
Frost-free period: 180 to 200 days.
Elevation: 1,128 to 1,615 meters (3,700 to 5,300 ft).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Pojo,
Redona, and
Roswell series.
Pojo soils: have a petrocalcic horizon between 51 and 100 cm (20 to 40 in) from the soil surface and are on higher landscape positions on mesas and higher hill slopes.
Redona soils: have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are on similar to slightly lower positions on hill slopes, alluvial fans and valley side slopes.
Roswell soils: have a sandy particle-size control section and are on about the same to higher dune positons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderately rapid permeability. Surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and low on 3 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is livestock grazing with some areas in irrigated cultivation. Native vegetation is primarily tall grasses such as little and sand bluestem, along with taller dropseed species. The remainder is mid and short grasses such as sideoats grama, sand dropseed, hooded windmillgrass, sand lovegrass, sand paspalum, fall witchgrass, hairy grama, needle and thread, and perennial threeawn. Sand sage, shinoak, and skunkbush make up the remaining woody species. This soil has been correlated to the Sandy Loam (R070BY670TX).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper Pecos River Valley (MLRA 70B in LRR G) of eastern New Mexico and the western Texas. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: De Baca County, New Mexico, 1983.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Springer series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 28 cm. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: 28 to 86 cm. (Bt horizons)
Calcic horizon: 114 to 203 cm. (BCk2 horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from De Baca County, NM (S82NM-011-005)
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.