LOCATION COPIA NM+TX
Established Series
Rev. DGS
11/2014
COPIA SERIES
The Copia series consists of very deep, excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in alluvium and eolian sediments derived dominantly from mixed sources. Copia soils are on dunes, shrub-coppice dunes, basin floors, fan piedmonts, and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Typic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Copia loamy fine sand rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 9 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; loose; many very fine roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary (2 to 10 inches thick).
C1--9 to 24 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; loose; common very fine roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
C2--24 to 33 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; loose; few fine roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
C3--33 to 51 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
C4--51 to 71 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine and few fine roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary (combined thickness of the C horizons range from 61 to 80 inches).
2Btkb--71 to 80 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) loamy fine sand, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; sand grains coated with clay; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; NE 1/4, SE 1/4 of Section 4, T.22 S., R.9 E.; 106 degrees 01 minutes 15 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees 25 minutes 13 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July through September and December through April. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Texture: Dominantly sand or loamy fine sand throughout. Thin horizons of loamy sand may be present in some pedons, but texture in the particle size control section averages sand or loamy fine sand with less than 11 percent silt plus clay.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 6 to 8, dry or moist
C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 6 to 8, dry or moist
2Bt horizon not present in all pedon
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Birdcanyon (CA),
Bluepoint (NV),
Brazito (NM),
Cajon (CA),
Koehn (CA),
Maynard Lake (NV),
Moapa (NV),
Pintura (UT),
Toquop (NV),
University (NM), and
Yturbide (NM) soil series. Birdcanyon, Bluepoint, Cajon, Koehn, Maynard Lake, Moapa, Pintura, and Toquop soils are in the
Mohave Desert and are moist in the soil moisture control section for less than 20 days cumulative between July and September. Yturbide soils have more than 15 percent gravel in the control section. University soils are inactivated. Brazito soils have hues of 10YR and 7.5YR and chromas of 1 to 4.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Copia soils are on dunes, shrub-coppice dunes, basin floors, fan piedmonts, and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. Elevations range from 3,000 to 5,850 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 11 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 180 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Elizario,
Foxtrot,
Mcnew,
Nations,
Patriot,
Pendero, and
Wessly soils. The Elizario soils are fine-loamy and are on slightly concave areas of basin floors. The Foxtrot and Nations soils have petrocalcic horizons and are on basin floors. The Mcnew, Patriot, and Pendero soils have argillic horizons and are on basin floors. The Wessly soils are fine-loamy and are on depressions on basin floors.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; moderately rapid permeability. Runoff is very low on slopes of 2 to 5 percent, low on slopes of 5 to 20 percent, and medium on slopes greater than 20 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation consists of giant dropseed, spike dropseed, mesa dropseed, sand sagebrush, mesquite and soaptree yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico; 2001. Fort Bliss soil survey.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 9 inches (A horizon)
Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons
Updated competing series section 3/13/08, CEM
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS
Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.