LOCATION CEMENTLAKE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Natrustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cementlake sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
E--0 to 1 inch; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak very fine platy structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine vesicular pores; 5 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btn--1 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many thin clay films on ped faces; 5 percent pebbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Btn2--8 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky nd plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common thin lay films on ped faces; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Btkz--17 to 32 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, friable sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; ommon very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate nd salts occur as common fine irregular soft seams and filaments; strongly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
Bkz--32 to 80 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) stratified sandy clay loam and sandy clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; very few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonate, gypsum, and salt occur as few fine irregular soft filaments; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Rio Arriba County, New Mexico; about 4 miles southeast of Cement Lake; 106 degrees 59 minutes 27 seconds west longitude and 36 degrees 35 minutes 45 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through May and July through September. The soil is driest during October. Aridic ustic moisture regime
Soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
E horizon - Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 5 percent pebbles.
Btn horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: clay, clay loam, or sandy clay.
SAR: greater than 13.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent pebbles.
Btkz horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: clay, sandy clay, silty clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 15 percent.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent pebbles.
C horizon where present - Value 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma 2 or 3.
Texture clay, loam, silt loam.
Other features: Depth to the secondary calcium carbonate is 8 to 26 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: No competing series currently exist in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cementlake soils are on valley sides and terraces.
They formed in alluvium derived from shale and sandstone. Slopes are 1 to 6 percent. Elevation is 7,000 to 7,400 feet. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Orlie, Menefee, Vessilla and Sparham series. Orlie and Sparham lack natric horizons. Menefee and Vessilla soils are shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is very slow, Runoff is medium.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Cementlake soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is big sagebrush, black sage, western wheat grass, galleta, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central New Mexico. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jicarilla Apache Area soil survey, New Mexico, 2003. The series was originally proposed in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, 1998. The name Cementlake is from a stock pond near the type location, and a local USGS quad name.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to a depth of 1/2 inches.
Natric horizon - The zone from 1/2 to 32 inches.