LOCATION GALISTEO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustertic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Galisteo silty clay loam--on a stream terrace sloping 1 to 2 percent to the south west at 6,396 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on April 5th, 2005, the soil was moist from 0 to 21 inches, slightly moist from 21 to 35 inches, and dry throughout the rest of the profile.)
A--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and many very fine roots; many very fine irregularly shaped pores; strongly effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); two percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
AB--4 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); common distinct pressure faces lining pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bz1--16 to 45 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds; many very fine rounded salt crystals; strongly effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bz2--45 to 67 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few fine clay films on faces of peds; common fine and very fine rounded salt crystals; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 49 inches thick)
C--67 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) stratified gravely sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist, massive; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine rounded salt crystals; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); lenses of reddish brown (5YR 5/3) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, very sticky, very plastic; 2 percent gravel; 14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5). (13 to 70 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 50 yards east of hwy 285, 1 mile south of Lamy turn off; USGS Glorieta 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 27 minutes 30 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 53 minutes 35.12 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. It is assumed to be dry in all parts for less than 75 percent of the time (cumulative), when the soil temperature at 20 inches is 41 degrees F. or higher. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 52 to 56 degrees F
Depth to base of ochric epipedon - 5 to 20 inches
Depth to visible salts - 5 to 20 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages -
Silicate clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Sand content: 20 to 35 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 10 to 20 percent
Salinity, dS/m - 2 to 16
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 30
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 1 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 gravel
AB, AE, or Bw horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 1 percent
Bz or Btnz horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, loam
Clay content: 27 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent
C or Cyz horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy clay loam, clay, sandy clay, or silty clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 55
Rock fragments: 0 to 20
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils are the Bumbob, Heldt, Littlenan, Lockerby, and Razor soils. Bumbob soils are in the very fine family and are smectitic. Heldt, Littlenan, Lockerby, and Razor soils are smectitic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Galisteo soils are on treads of stream terraces and alluvial fans. They formed in alluvium derived from Triassic age shale or from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,500 to 6,700 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chupe, Jaralosa, and Penistaja soils. Chupe soils are sandy, excessively drained, and occur on narrow flood plains of valley floors. Jaralosa soils are coarse-loamy, moderately well drained, and occur on flood plains steps of valley floors. Penistaja soils are fine-loamy, have an argillic horizon, and occur on toeslopes of fan piedmonts.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium surface runoff; permeability is moderate to moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Galisteo soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The historic climax vegetation is alkali sacaton, blue grama, galleta, fourwing saltbush. The ecological site is Salt Flats(R036XB126NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Galisteo soils are of small extent on the northern Galisteo Basin part of the Mexican Highlands section of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 1970. Galisteo is the name of a town in Santa Fe County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon- The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic Horizon- The zone from 4 to 67 inches (AB, Bz1, and Bz2 horizons)
Particle-size control section- The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (AB, Bz1, and Bz2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
The 12/2007 revision moves the type location to the typical pedon used in the update survey of the Santa Fe Area. The classification is changed from fine, mixed (calcareous), mesic Ustic Torriorthents to fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustertic Haplocambids.