LOCATION DIOXICE NM+OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Dioxice loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine and common fine roots; few fine vesicular pores; mildly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
A2--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky; many very fine and common fine roots; few vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
B21--8 to 18 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky; many very fine and few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; few medium lime nodules; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
B22--18 to 28 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky; common very fine roots; strongly effervescent; few films, threads and nodules of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
B3ca--28 to 35 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky; few very fine roots; strongly effervescent; common medium soft masses and concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Cca--35 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 10 percent petrocalcic fragments; violently effervescent; lime disseminated; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Harding County, New Mexico; 45 feet north and 240 feet west of SE corner section 8, T. 20 N., R. 26 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the top of the calcic horizon is 20 to 40 inches. The CaC03 equivalent ranges from 15 to more than 50 percent in the calcic horizon. Rock fragments are primarily pieces of petrocalcic material and range from 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 5 to 40 percent pebbles, but weighted average is less than 35 percent. The soil moisture control section receives 50 to 60 percent of the available precipitation during the 120 days following the summer solstice and is moist in all parts intermittently during the months of July and August.
The A horizon is typically noncalcareous to a depth of 3 to 5 inches, but in some pedons is calcareous at the surface. The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. The fine earth fraction is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam with gravelly phases.
The B horizons, above the calcic horizon, have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3, 4, or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is dominantly clay loam or sandy clay loam but ranges to heavy loam and gravelly loam. Clay content ranges from 18 to 35 percent.
The calcic horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is clay loam, loamy gravelly loam or cobbly loam. In some pedons it is gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam with more than 18 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Escabosa, Hovenweep, Jonale, and Suglo series. Escabosa and Hovenweep soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Jonale soils have a calcic horizon at less than 20 inch depths. Suglo soils have sandstone and limestone rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inch section and receive most of the annual precipitation in Spring and early Summer and the soil moisture control section is not moist in all parts intermittently during the months of July and August.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Dioxice soils are on uplands at elevations of 4,500 to 7,600 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed dominantly in medium textured, highly calcareous old alluvium of the Tertiary period that has been modified by eolian sediments. In some areas, this material rests on indurated caliche of pratically consolidated old alluvium. The climate is semiarid continental. The average annual precipitation is about 12 to 18 inches with peak precipitation occurring in July, August, September and October. The average annual temperature is about 47 to 57 degrees F. The Thornthwaite P-E Index is 27. The frost-free period is about 115 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dallam, Dean, Dumas, and Sherm soils. Dean soils lack a mollic epipedon and are shallow to a calcic horizon. Dumas soils are leached to depths of 15 to 34 inches and have an argillic horizon. Sherm soils have more than 35 percent clay in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon. Dallam soils have a thick sandy clay loam argillic horizon and lack a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as dry and irrigated cropland or as native pastureland. Native vegetation is chiefly short grasses with blue grama and buffalo grass predominant, other grasses are western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, and galleta.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High Plains of northeastern New Mexico. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Union County, New Mexico, 1972.
REMARKS: The Dioxice series includes the soils of the mesic temperature zone that were formerly included in the Zita series.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 3/83.