LOCATION CORVUS NM+TX

Established Series
REV: GWC
01/2016

CORVUS SERIES

The Corvus series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in gypsiferous eolian deposits. These gently sloping soils are on relict gypsum dunes, alluvial flats, and fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 0 to 10 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic, shallow Typic Petrogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Corvus gypsiferous loam rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

Ayy--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); pale orange yellow (10YR 9/2) gypsiferous loam, very pale brown (10YR 8.5/2), moist; 12 percent clay; weak thick platy over weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 86 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 2.3 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear wavy boundary.

Byy1--2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm); pale orange yellow (10YR 9/2) gypsiferous loam, very pale brown (10YR 8.5/2), moist; 14 percent clay; moderate coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 84 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 2.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Byy2--8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm); pale orange yellow (10YR 9/2) gypsiferous loam, very pale brown (10YR 8.5/2), moist; 16 percent clay; moderate coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 93 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 4.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 5.0; abrupt wavy boundary.

Bnyyzm--12 to 23 inches (30 to 58 cm); white (10YR 9.5/1), white (10YR 9/1), moist; many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 78 percent gypsum; electrical conductivity 13.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; sodium adsorption ratio 13.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Cnyyz1--23 to 40 inches (58 to 102 cm); white (10YR 9.5/1) gypsiferous loam, white (10YR 9/1), moist; 14 percent clay; moderate extremely coarse prismatic structure; hard, very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 80 percent gypsum; very strongly alkaline, pH 9.1; electrical conductivity 13.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; sodium adsorption ratio 16.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Cnyyz2--40 to 60 inches (102 to 152 cm); 30 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/4) and 70 percent white (10YR 9.5/1) gypsiferous loam, 30 percent brown (7.5YR 5/4) and 70 percent white (10YR 9/1), moist; 12 percent clay; moderate extremely coarse prismatic structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine and medium irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 73 percent gypsum; strongly alkaline, pH 9.0; electrical conductivity 13.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; sodium adsorption ratio 20.0.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; about 2.8 miles south and 0.09 miles east of White Sands National Monument headquarters; located about 250 feet east and 750 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 19, T. 18S, R. 8E; USGS quad Foster Lake; Latitude: 32 degrees, 44 minutes, 20.2 seconds N; Longitude: 106 degrees, 10 minutes, 13.8 seconds W, NAD 83; UTM 0390332 E, 3622954 N, UTM Zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 64 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Depth to hypergypsic horizon: 0 to 6 inches
Depth to petrogypsic horizon: 6 to 12 inches
Percent gypsum: 60 to 95 percent
Salinity (EC): 2 to 13.2 mmhos/cm
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 20

Ayy horizon
Hue: 7.5 YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 9.5 dry, 3 to 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous very fine sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam
Gypsum: 4 to 100 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 2 to 4 mmhos/cm
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 4

Byy horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 9.5 dry, 5 to 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous silt loam, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous coarse sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 2 to 8 mmhos/cm
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 8

Bnyyzm horizon
Cemented: gypsum
Hardness: extremely hard to indurated
Thickness: 4 to 20 inches, discontinuous

Cnyyz horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous silt loam
Gypsum: 50 to 90 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 4 to 16 mmhos/cm
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 2 to 25

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Corvus soils are on relict gypsum dunes, alluvial flats, and fan piedmonts. Slope is 0 to 10 percent. These soils formed from gypsiferous eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,000 to 4,229 ft. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bomber, Flake, Matador, Nasa, Tornado and Yesum soils. Bomber soils do not have petrogypsic horizons and are in drainages. Flake soils are fine-loamy and are on alluvial flats. Matador soils have salic horizons and are in drainages. Nasa soils have a petrogypsic horizon between 20 and 40 inches and are on fan piedmonts. Tornado soils are greater than 40 percent clay in the particle size control section, have mixed mineralogy and are in drainages. Yesum soils are coarse-loamy and have gypsic horizons within 7 inches from the surface (Leptic).

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is gyp grama, gyp dropseed, black grama, coldenia and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin and surrounding piedmonts. MLRA 42-2. Limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudspeth County, Texas; Soil Survey of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part), 2012.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (Ay, By1, By2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches (Ayy horizon)

Gypsic horizon - the zone from 2 to 12 inches (Byy1 and Byy2 horizons)

Petrogypsic horizon - the zone from 12 to 23 inches (Byym horizon)

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

Revised for the correlation of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico; April, 2015, NMS

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data from type location NASIS User Site ID S2006NM688016. NSSL Lab Pedon Number 06N1099.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.