LOCATION CALABASAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Duric Petroargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Calabasas loam--on a planar summit sloping 1 percent to the south at 6,280 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 2 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Btk1--12 to 17 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Btk2--17 to 25 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bk--25 to 32 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bkq--32 to 49 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gravelly sandy loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) moist; moderate thick platy structure; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebble-sized durinodes; 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bkqm--49 to 54 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) duripan, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; moderate very thick platy structure; extremely hard and extremely firm; few very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; matrix is cemented by secondary silica; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated and partially cemented with secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
B'kq--54 to 70 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 18 percent pebble-sized durinodes; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium and large irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
B'kqm--70 to 81 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) duripan, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate very thick platy structure; extremely hard and extremely firm; few very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; matrix is cemented by secondary silica; 5 percent gravel; strongly to violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium and large coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 3.5 miles northwest of La Cienega; 2,500 feet west and 1,300 feet north of the southeast corner of section 27, T.16N., R.7E.; USGS Tetilla Peak 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 35 minutes 1 second North and Longitude 106 degrees 11 minutes 7 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. It is assumed to be dry in all parts 50 to 75 percent of the time (cumulative), when the soil temperature at 20 inches is 41 degrees F. or higher. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 52 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 21 to 36 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate): 8 to 12 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 21 to 38 inches
Depth to thin duripan and petrocalcic horizon: 40 to 60 inches; additional thin duripans may be present between 60 and 90 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: basalt
Volcanic glass content: 1 to 5 percent in the coarse silt and very fine sand fractions of the surface and subsoil; trace amounts to 20 percent in the very fine sand and fine sand fractions of the substratum
Typical totals of aluminum plus 1/2 iron percentages are less than 0.20.
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Sand content: 15 to 30 percent
Fine sand and coarser content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragment content: less than 2 percent
Reaction: neutral in the surface; slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the upper part of the subsoil; moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the lower part of the subsoil and in the substratum
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2 in the surface and the upper part of the substratum; 0 to 1 in the subsoil; 2 to 4 in the lower part of the substratum
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 1 in the surface; 0 to 4 in the subsoil and the upper part of the substratum; 4 to 13 in the lower part of the substratum
A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Btk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, loam, or silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 5 percent
Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam or loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent
Bkq horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy loam or gravelly loam
Rock fragments: total range is 20 to 35 percent
0 to 10 percent gravel
20 to 35 percent pebble-sized durinodes
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 60 percent
Bkqm and B'kqm horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 8 moist
Chroma: 0 through 4 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Term used in lieu of texture: duripan
Other features: the uppermost duripans in some pedons also qualify as petrocalcic horizons
B'kq horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or loam
Rock fragments: 10 to 20 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Calabasas soils are on summits of mesas and erosional fan remnants. They formed in eolian material derived from Quaternary loess, volcanic ash, and pumice and alluvium derived from loess and Tertiary basalt. Slopes are 1 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,800 to 6,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tetilla and Zepol soils. Tetilla soils have calcic horizons below 40 inches, do not have cemented pans, and occur on summits of erosional fan remnants. Zepol soils have thick mollic epipedons and occur on narrow flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately slow permeability in the subsoil, moderately rapid permeability in the substratum, and very slow permeability in the duripans.
USE AND VEGETATION: Calabasas soils are used for urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, galleta, ring muhly, black grama, sand dropseed, three awn, and onseed juniper. The ecological site is Cinder(R036XB117NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central New Mexico. MLRA 36. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 4 to about 25 inches. (Bt, Btk1, and Btk2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 32 to about 49 inches. (Bkq horizon)
Duripan: The zone from 49 to about 54 inches and from 70 to about 81 inches. (Bkqm and B'kqm horizons)
Petrocalcic horizon: The zone from 49 to about 54 inches. (Bkqm horizon)
Note: This soil has minor amounts of volcanic glass in either the coarse silt or very fine sand fractions within 75 cm of the soil surface. It is assumed that most of the volcanic glass derived from nearby Pleistocene ash eruptions has altered to more stable minerals like chalcedony. In addition, Lincoln lab data indicates that ammonium oxalate extractable aluminum and iron percentages are very low. Calabasas soils thus do not have the properties of the andic intergrades.
The 11/2006 revision moves the type location to the typical pedon used in the update soil survey of the Santa Fe Area. The series concept was also changed from a very deep soil with a cambic horizon to one with a duripan at 40 to 60 inches and an argillic horizon. The classification of Calabasas when established was fine-silty, mixed, mesic Ustollic Camborthids. The soil at the new type location was provisionally proposed as the Cuerbio series in 1996 before being dropped and correlated with Calabasas in 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The type location has been sampled for full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S92NM-049-002.