LOCATION GALESTINA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Galestina sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)
BA--2 to 7 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular and few fine vesicular pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; continuous thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; many thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bk1--31 to 42 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; disseminated calcium carbonates and segregated as few medium irregular soft masses; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--42 to 46 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; disseminated calcium carbonates and segregated as common medium irregular soft masses; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Cr--46 to 60 inches; shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Cibola County, New Mexico; in western Cibola County about 0.5 mile north of the Ojo Pueblo Ruins in Pinitos Draw. 2,160 feet east and 600 feet north of the southwest corner of section 21, T. 8 N., R. 16 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts 30 to 40 consecutive days during the 120 days following the winter solstice and is moist in all parts 35 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inch depths is above 41 degrees F. The soil moisture control section is dry in some parts, more than six-tenths of the time the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon - 12 to 35 inches.
Depth to the paralithic contact - 40 to 60 inches.
A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Bt Horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6.
Texture: Clay or clay loam.
Clay Content: 35 to 60 percent.
Bk Horizon
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 through 8.
Calcium carbonate equivalent - less than 15 percent.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam or clay.
Cr Horizon - Dominated by shale but can be interbedded by sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bryway (NM), Galzuni (NM) and Regracic (NM) series. Bryway soils are moderately deep. Galzuni and Regracic soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Galestina soils are on hills and mesas. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6,800 to 7,300 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches and the mean annual air temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. The average frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Catman, Moncha, Nogal, Pinitos, Ribera and Silkie soils. Catman and Silkie soils have cracks that remain open periodically. Moncha soils have less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand. Nogal soils have a lithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. Pinitos and Ribera soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Galestina soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is western wheatgrass, blue grama, sideoats grama and scattered pinyon and oneseed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The series is of small extent in west central New Mexico. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cibola County, New Mexico, 1985.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon - The zone from the surface to a depth of about 7 inches (A, BA horizons). When colors meet the requirements of a mollic epipedon, the horizon is too thin.
Argillic Horizons - The zone from about 7 to 31 inches (Bt1, Bt2 horizons).
Bk Horizons - The zone from about 31 to 46 inches (Bk1, Bk2 horizons).
This draft changes the classification of this series from Typic to Aridic based on better knowledge of the precipitation and soil moisture patterns in the general area. Morphology and lab data indicate that these soils have a large increase in clay content at the upper boundary of the argillic horizon. The series is reclassified from fine, mixed, mesic Typic Haplustalfs to fine, mixed, mesic Aridic Paleustalfs.