LOCATION ELPEDRO NM+UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Elpedro loam, wooded. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine and coarse roots; few thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 19 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and coarse roots, thin discontinuous clay films on face of peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bt3--19 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; thick continuous clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; very few calcium carbonate seams and filaments; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Btk1--25 to 36 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; thick continuous clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; thin coat and filaments of calcium carbonates on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Btk2--36 to 45 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate seams and filaments on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Btk3--45 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; thin discontinuous clay film on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; few calcium carbonate accumulations; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; along road 2 miles NE of La Madera; N. 1,542,800 feet and E. 466,800 feet; 106 degrees, 21 minutes, 40 seconds west longitude; 35 degrees, 14 minutes, 26 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - moist in some part during the 120 days following the winter solstice and is moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 47 to 54 degrees F.
Calcium carbonate equivalent - less than 15 percent
Reaction - slightly to strongly alkaline
A and Bw horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: dry, 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Bt and Btk horizons
Hue: 10YR to 5YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5
Texture: silty clay loam, and silt loam
Clay content: averaging 27 to 35 percent clay
Bk horizon: absent in some pedons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Altega (T)(NM),
Amal (NM),
Buick (CO),
Chevelon (AZ),
Chita (NM),
Keiser (MT),
Klinedraw (WY),
Moncha (NM),
Oshoto (WY),
Pulpit (CO),
Roubideau (CO),
Sharps (CO),
Verde (CO),
Wetherill (NM) and
Wiley (CO) series.
Altega soils contain less than 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the particle size control section.
Amal, Chita and Wetherill soils have calcic horizons.
Buick soils have buried argillic horizon, and do not have 5YR hues in the argillic horizon.
Chevelon, Klinedraw and Sharps soils are moderately deep over soft sandstone or shale.
Keiser soils have carbonates accumulation at less than 10 inches.
Moncha soils lack secondary carbonates in the lower part of the Bt and have a Bt horizon less than 30 inches to the base.
Osoto soils have 10YR to 5Y hues.
Roubideau soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Pulpit soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
Verde soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches depth.
Wiley soils depth to the base of the argillic horizon is 12 to 40 inches, and depth to visible calcium carbonate is 7 to 24 inches.
Wetherill soils contain more than 35 percent sand in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elpedro soils are on fan piedmonts, low hills, mesas, benches, valley sides, alluvial flats and rolling plateaus. Slopes range from 1 to 40 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,450 to 7,800 feet. The soils formed in eolian materials, alluvium and colluvium derived from limestone and siltstone. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F., and the frost-free period is about 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Witt series. Witt soils have a calcic horizon and an aridic soil moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow to moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for range, wildlife habitat, fuelwood production, recreation, and urban development. Native vegetation is pinyon, juniper species, rubber rabbitbrush, western wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain foothills of central New Mexico. These soils are of small extent. MLRAs 35 & 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sandoval County, New Mexico, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 5 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 5 to 36 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Btk1 horizons)