LOCATION CALE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cale silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B/A--6 to 13 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky and fine medium granular structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Btk1--13 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent, few fine filaments and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Btk2--22 to 33 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; few medium filaments and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Btk3--33 to 45 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; many medium distinct white mottles; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; very few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches)
Bk--45 to 65 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; 100 feet north and 900 feet east of the southwest corner of NW1/4 sec. 5, T.20S., R15E.; 105 degrees, 26 minutes, 00 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees, 35 minutes, 31 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. Usually dry, but is intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section April through October. The soil is driest during November and March.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 59 degrees F
Calcium carbonate - 5 to 12 percent in the lower Btk horizons and up to 35 percent below 40 inches.
Effervescent throughout.
Mollic epipedon: 8 to 14 inches thick
Thickness of A and Btk horizons: 34 to 52 inches.
A horizon:
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: silt loam or loam.
Other features: Some pedons are leached to 10 inches.
B/A horizon:
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: silt loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.
Btk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: typically silty clay loam, but some pedons are clay or silt loam.
Bk horizon:
Value: 4 to 7 dry and 3 or 4 moist.
Texture: silt loam or clay loam.
Other features: few to common accumulations of segregated calcium carbonate, but may be absent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Alliance (NE),
Kadoka (SD),
Keith (NE),
Norka (CO),and
Thirtynine (WY)series.
Alliance soils: have neutral or slightly alkaline B2t horizons.
Norka soils: have a Bt horizon whose base is at 15 inches or less.
Keith soils: have an argillic horizon that is non-effervescent.
Kadoka soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Thirtynine soils: have mean annual soil temperature of 47 degrees to 51 degrees F. and are moist in the spring.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cale soils are on low terraces, and sideslopes of upland alluvial valleys. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. Elevations are 5,500 to 7,200 feet. The soils formed in alluvium and eolian material derived primarily from limestone or shale. The valleys are normally entrenched. Annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The average annual temperature is about 51 to 58 degrees F. The frost free period is 130 to 170 days. In Colorado major precipitation falls from May through August and is as much as 16 inches and has elevations as low as 5300 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ector, Deama, Kerrick, and Pena soils. Ector, Deama, and Kerrick soils are shallow to bedrock or to petrocalcic horizons. Pena soils do not have an argillic horizon and have more than 35 percent gravel in the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability; runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent and low on slopes of 1 to 5 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is rangeland. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, blue grama, silver bluestem, creeping muhly and Apache plume.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral New Mexico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico, 1976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 13 inches. (A and B/A horizons)
Argillic horizon - 13 to 33 inches. (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons)