LOCATION CUMACHO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cumacho fine sandy loam, on a shoulder of a pediment sloping 4 percent to the west at 6,115 feet elevation-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on May 26, 2004, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 1 inch; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Btk1--1 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few medium, common fine, and few very fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films on faces of peds and on surfaces of pores; fewer than 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, few fine irregularly shaped carbonate masses throughout the matrix (3 percent CaCO3 equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Btk2--7 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, fine, and very fine roots; few medium and fine tubular pores; common faint and distinct clay films on faces of peds and on surfaces of pores; violently effervescent, common medium irregularly shaped carbonate masses throughout the matrix (12 percent CaCO3 equivalent); less than 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
2Bk--11 to 19 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common coarse, few medium, and few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, many medium irregularly shaped carbonate masses throughout the matrix (14 percent CaCO3 equivalent); 5 percent shale paragravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2BCky1--19 to 25 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) paragravelly clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, many medium irregularly shaped carbonate masses throughout the matrix (6 percent CaCO3 equivalent); very few, very fine, irregularly shaped calcium sulfate crystals around the rock fragments; 20 percent shale paragravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
2BCky2--25 to 33 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) paragravelly clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, common carbonate masses throughout the matrix (2 percent CaCO3 equivalent); few, very fine, irregularly shaped calcium sulfate crystals around the rock fragments; 30 percent shale paragravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
2BCky3--33 to 46 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely paragravelly fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, common thin carbonate coatings around pararock fragments (2 percent CaCO3 equivalent); common, medium, irregularly shaped calcium sulfate crystals around the rock fragments; 65 percent shale paragravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
2Cr--46 to 64 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4), light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; moderately cemented shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 3 miles southwest of Galisteo, just south of Horseshoe Tank; USGS Ojo Hedionda 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 20 minutes 51.9 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 57 minutes 46.7 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 52 to 54 degrees F.
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 1 to 4 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate): 7 to 10 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 11 to 14 inches
Depth to paralithic contact: 46 to 59 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Sand content: 15 to 30 percent
Fine sand and coarser content: 10 to 25 percent
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Texture: silty clay loam, loam, or silt loam
Paragravel content: 0 to 5 percent
Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Texture: silty clay loam, loam, or clay loam
Paragravel content: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 8 to 12 percent
2Bk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 22 to 30 percent
Texture: silt loam or clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 15 percent
2BCky horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 10 to 30 percent
Texture: paragravelly clay loam, paragravelly silt loam, or paragravelly silty clay loam, extremely paragravelly fine sandy loam, extremely paragravelly silt loam or extremely paragravelly silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Pararock fragment content: 15 to 70 percent paragravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 1
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
Gypsum content: 2 to 15 percent
2Cr horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balon, Blancot, Bowbac, Buckle, Cambria, Cerropelon, Chilerojo, Cushman, Decolney, Doakum, Forkwood, Fort, Gaddes, Gapbutte, Gapmesa, Hagerman, Hagerwest, Hiland, Mentmore, Oelop, Olney, Palacid, Penistaja, Pokeman, Potts, Pugsley, Quagwa, Redpen, Spangler, Sundance, Tamarindo, Tekla, and the Yenlo series.
Balon, Blancot, Bobac, Cambria, Doakum, Decoloney, Gapmesa, Hiland, Mentmore, Oelop, Palacid, Peninstaja, Pugsley, Spangler, Sundance, Teckla, and Yenlo soils do not have visible secondary carbonates in the argillic horizon. Bowbac, Cambria, Cushman, Decolney, Forkwood, Fort, Hiland, Olney, Pokeman, Potts, Pugsley, Spangler, and Teckla soils are more moist in May and June. Chilerojo soils do not have a paralithic contact within 60 inches. Gapbutte, Gaddes, Gapmesa, Hagerman, and Hagerwest soils are moderately deep. Bowbac, Cerropelon, Cushman, Gaddes, Pokeman, Pugsley, and Spangler soils have a paralithic contact at depths between 20 and 40 inches. Buckle, Cambria, Decoloney, Doakum, Forkwood, Fort, Hiland, Mentmore, Oelop, Olney, Palacid, Penistaja, Potts, Quagwa, Redpen, Sundance, Tekla, and Yenlo soils do not have a paralithic contact within 80 inches. Palacid, Potts, Tamarindo, Tekla, and Quagwa, soils are greater than 40 inches to the base of the argillic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cumacho soils are on footslopes and backslopes of pediments. They formed in eolian materials and slope alluvium derived from sandstone over residuum weathered from the Cretaceous age Mancos Shale formation. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,400 to 6,800 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 Devargas, Penistaja, Riovista, Sandoval, and Skyvillage soils. Devargas soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, have calcic horizons, and occur on treads of high stream terraces. Penistaja soils very deep and occur on fan remnants. Riovista soils are sandy-skeletal and occur on low stream terraces. Sandoval soils are shallow and occur on shoulders and backslopes. Skyvillage soils are shallow to sandstone and occur on shoulders and backslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cumacho soils are used for urban development and livestock grazing. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, black grama, galleta, ring muhly, broom snakeweed. The ecological site is Loamy(R036XB112NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cumacho soils are of small extent on the northern part of the Sacramento section of the Basin and Range province in northcentral 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 is a Spanish surname.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 1 to 14 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Paralithic contact- at 46 inches. (top of Cr layer)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.