LOCATION CUATE                   NM

Established Series
RD - DPK/WRJ/RJA
11/2014

CUATE SERIES

The Cuate series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium and colluvium derived from limestone. Cuate soils are on hillslopes and ridges. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 13 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Aridic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Cuate very channery loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 1 inch; brown (10YR 4/3) very channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; slightly effervescent; 5 percent flagstones and 35 percent channers; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

A2--1 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; strongly effervescent; 10 percent flagstones and 25 percent channers; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)

Bk1--9 to 23 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very channery loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and very fine roots; strongly effervescent with disseminated lime; 5 percent flagstones and 30 percent channers; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

Bk2--23 to 26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) channery sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; violently effervescent with disseminated lime and coating undersides of rock fragments; 5 percent flagstones and 25 percent channers, moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

Bk3--26 to 32 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) very channery sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; violently effervescent; lime disseminated and occurring as pendants on rock fragments; 10 percent flagstones and 30 percent channers; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)

R--32 inches; hard limestone.

TYPE LOCATION: Socorro County, New Mexico; about 10 miles northeast of Bingham; 1450 feet north and 2025 feet east of the southwest corner of section 26, T. 3 S., R. 7 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Thickness of mollic epipedon: 7 to 13 inches

Depth to limestone: 20 to 40 inches

Carbonates in mineralogy control section: average 40 to 50 percent by weight

Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

Rock fragments by volume: 25 to 60 percent, mainly channers and flagstones, average greater than 35 percent for the control section.

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 to 5 dry, 1 to 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 18 to 24 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 45 percent

Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lapdun series. Close competitors in other families are the Modyon, Puice and Socorro series. The Lapdun soils are deep. The Modyon soils have mixed mineralogy. Puice and Socorro soils lack a mollic epipedon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cuate soils are on hillslopes and ridges. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent. Elevations range from 6,100 to 8,120 feet. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 18 inches, and the average annual temperature is 46 to 54 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 120 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Deama, Harvey and Tanbark soils. Deama soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches. Harvey soils lack a mollic epipedon are are more than 40 inches deep. The Tanbark soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, rapid runoff, moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cuate soils are used for livestock grazing. Native vegetation includes black grama, blue grama, datil yucca, curlyleaf muhly, pinyon and juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Cuate soils are of moderate extent in east central New Mexico. MLRA 42 and 70C.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Socorro County, New Mexico, 1984.

REMARKS: DIAGNOSTIC HORIZONS AND FEATURES RECOGNIZED IN THIS PEDON ARE:

Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 9 inches. (A1, A2 horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 23 to 32 inches. (Bk2, Bk3 horizons)

Lithic contact - the occurrence of limestone at 32 inches.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.