LOCATION DEVISADERO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Devisadero gravelly loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
B21t--3 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay, dark brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common moderately thick clay films on peds; few very fine and many fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
B22t--7 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many moderately thick clay films on peds; few medium and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
B3ca--13 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few thin clay films on peds; few medium and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent with fine irregular carbonate concretions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Cca--24 to 30 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, friable; few fine roots; 50 percent gravel; violently effervescent with disseminated carbonates and fine irregular concretions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
R--30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) weathered sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Taos County, New Mexico; AMS Photo 746, NW1/4 SW1/4 section 22, T.24N., R.13E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 54 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature is 70 degrees F. The solum is 15 to 25 inches thick. The major part of the solum has 35 to 60 percent rock fragments.
The A1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam or light clay loam and has 20 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 30 percent cobbles, and 0 to 20 percent stones.
The B2t horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4. It is clay or heavy clay loam and has 30 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 50 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones.
The Cca horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist. It is sandy loam or loam and has 30 to 50 percent gravel and 0 to 60 percent cobbles.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Larim, Nehar, Romberg, Sedillo, Tacan and Willhand (T) series. All of these soils have aridic moisture regimes marginal to ustic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on complex mountain sides at elevations of 7,000 to 8,500 feet. Slopes are 40 to 75 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from sandstone or shale of the Pennsylvanian Formation. The climate is continental and annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The precipitation comes mainly in the summer. The annual temperature is 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Maes soils. Maes soils are frigid and lack a lithic contact within depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Devisadero soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat and recreation. Native vegetation is pinyon pine, oneseed juniper, blue grama, sideoats grama, and other grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern New Mexico. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos Area, New Mexico, 1976.
REMARKS: Classification is tentative until reliable moisture data is collected that supports the Typic or Aridic intergrade.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.