LOCATION CERROPELON NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cerropelon very cobbly sandy loam--on a hill sloping 28 percent to the north-northeast at 6,180 feet elevation in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on June 16, 2004, the soil was moist from 0 to 3 inches and otherwise dry throughout.)
A--0 to 1 inch (0 to 3 centimeters); brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; 16 percent clay; weak fine granular structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common very fine to medium high-continuity interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, and 1 percent boulders; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bt1--1 to 6 inches (3 to 16 centimeters); brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; 28 percent clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm, hard, moderately sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine to medium moderate-continuity interstitial and tubular pores; 15 percent patchy prominent clay films throughout; 15 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--6 to 12 inches (16 to 31 centimeters); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; 31 percent clay; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm, hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine and medium moderate-continuity tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 7 to 15 inches thick)
Btk--12 to 21 inches (31 to 54 centimeters); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; 31 percent clay; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm, hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common very fine to coarse roots throughout; common fine low-continuity tubular pores; 10 percent continuous prominent clay films on all faces of peds; 1 percent fine prominent irregular weakly cemented carbonate masses with clear boundaries in matrix; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
BCk--21 to 28 inches (54 to 71 centimeters); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; 33 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm, hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine roots between peds; few very fine and fine low-continuity tubular pores; 2 percent fine distinct spherical weakly cemented carbonate masses in matrix; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4). (3 to 8 inches thick)
Cr--28 to 39 inches (71 to 100 centimeters); olive gray (5Y 5/2), olive gray (5Y 4/2), moist; shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 1 mile east and 3 miles south of Galisteo; USGS Oscura Mountains 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 21 minutes 25.7 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 01 minutes 00.2 seconds West, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering ustic.
Average annual soil temperature: 52 to 54 degrees F (11.1 to 12.2 C)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 1 to 6 inches (3 to 15 cm)
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 16 to 34 inches (48 to 86 cm)
Depth secondary carbonates: 10 to 14 inches (25 to 36 cm)
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 39 inches (50 to 100 cm)
Particle-size control section
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
A horizon
Value: 5 dry, 4 moist
Chroma: 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Organic matter content: 0.2 to 0.6 percent
Rock fragments: 30 to 45 percent total rock fragments
15 to 35 percent gravel
10 to 20 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent stones
0 to 3 percent boulders
Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 5 to 25 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobble
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btk horizon
Value: 5 dry, 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, or moist
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
BCk horizon
Value: 6 dry, 5 moist
Chroma: 3 dry, 2 moist
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Cr horizon
Value: 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 2 dry, 3 moist
Soft shale beds
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the
Balon,
Blancot,
Bowbac,
Buckle,
Cambria,
Chilerojo,
Cumacho,
Cushman,
Decolney,
Doakum,
Forkwood,
Fort,
Gaddes,
Gapbutte,
Gapmesa,
Hagerman,
Hagerwest,
Hiland,
Mentmore,
Oelop,
Olney,
Palacid,
Penistaja,
Pokeman,
Potts,
Pugsley,
Quagwa,
Redpen,
Spangler,
Sundance,
Tamarindo,
Teckla, and
Yenlo series. A potential competitor still classified in the Ustollic subgroup is the
Harbord series.
Balon, Blancot, Buckle, Cambria, Chilerojo, Cumacho, Decolney, Doakum, Forkwood, Fort, Harbord, Hiland, Mentmore, Oelop, Olney, Palacid, Penistaja, Potts, Quagwa, Redpen, Sundance, Tamarindo, Teckla, and Yenlo soils are deeper than 40 inches to lithic or paralithic contact.
Bowbac and Cushman soils are more moist in the moisture control section in
May and June.
Gapbutte, Gapmesa, Hagerman, and Hagerwest soils have a lithic contact at depths between 20 and 40 inches.
Pokeman soils have secondary accumulations of gypsum.
Pugsley and Spangler soils are noncalcareous throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cerropelon soils are on shoulder and backslope positions on sedimentary bedrock controlled hills. They formed in loamy slope alluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Slopes are 15 to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,400 to 7,100 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 Penistaja and Skyvillage soils. Penistaja soils are deep. Skyvillage soils do not have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cerropelon soils are used for livestock grazing and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, Gamble's oak, mountain mahogany, twoneedle pinyon, and oneseed juniper. The ecological site is Sandstone Hills(R036XB122NM)..
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cerropelon soils are of small extent on the northern Galisteo Basin part of the Mexican Highlands section of the Basin and Range province in north central New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2008. The name Cerropelon is taken from a hill in Santa Fe County and its associated ranch.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon 0 to 1 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 1 to 21 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons)
Secondary carbonates - 12 to 28 inches (Btk and BCk horizons)
Particle-size control section from 1 to 21 inches (entire argillic horizon)
Paralithic contact at 28 inches (Cr layer)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a calcimeter. Electrical conductivity was determined by ec meter, 1:1 water. pH was determined by pH meter 1:1 water. Texture was determined by hydrometer method.