LOCATION GABALDON NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gabaldon loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless
otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown
(10YR 2/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard,
very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; common fine
interstitial and tubular pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline;
clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2)
moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable,
slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine
interstitial and tubular pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline;
clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Bk1--16 to 31 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium and
coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly
plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular
pores; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate as few very fine
irregularly shaped filaments; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
(10 to 26 inches thick)
Bk2--31 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots to depth of 48 inches; few fine and medium interstitial and few tubular pores; violently effervescent; few fine masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; 200 feet south of the north
quarter corner, sec. 5. T. 13 S., R. 12 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: These soils are dry in some part more than half the time in
the soil moisture control section when the soil temperature exceeds 41
degrees F. The soil is moist for longer periods of time between July and
September than between October and June.
Soil Temperature: 47 to 59 degrees F.
Particle-size Control Section: 18 to 35 percent clay
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent: less than 15 percent. These soils are
calcareous throughout the pedon.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: Loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or fine sandy loam
B horizon:
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loam, silty clay, silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay
(percent clay on a weighted average - 18 to 35 percent)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ackmen (UT),
Alcester (SD),
Coleridge (NE),
Hord (NE),
Irak (T CO),
Muir (KS),
Roxbury (KS),
Shell (NE),
Tobin (KS),
Trementina (T CO), and
Vega (UT) series. Ackmen and Muir soils are not
calcareous throughout. Alcester, Coleridge, and Hord soils are not
calcareous within depths of 36 inches. Irak soils have a water table
between 1 and 3 feet during April through September. Shell, Tobin and
Roxbury soils are not dry in some part of the soil moisture control section
more than half the time the temperature is as warm or warmer than 41
degrees F. Trementina soils are noncalcareous within 15 inches of the
surface. Vega soils are moist in some part of the soil moisture control
section from October to June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Gabaldon soils are on alluvial fans and in swales.
The soils formed in silty sediments derived from mixed sedimentary and
igneous rocks. The climate is semiarid continental. Mean annual
precipitation ranges from 11 to 17 inches with a pronounced summer maximum.
Mean annual temperature temperature ranges from 45 to 57 degrees F. Frost
free season ranges from 140 to 180 days and elevation ranges from 4,000 to
7,800 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ruidoso and
Shanta soils.
Ruidoso soils have argillic horizons. Shanta soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow.
Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, very low on 1 to 3
percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 3 to 8 percent
slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and limited farming. Present
vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, ring muhly, cholla, and yucca
with scattered pinyon-juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alluvial valleys in foothills and low mountains of
south-central New Mexico. The soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos County (Taos Irrigated Area), New Mexico, 1941.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 31 inches. (A and Bk1 horizons)