LOCATION GALLEGOS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gallegos very gravelly sandy loam -rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 60 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; 75 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)
Bk--15 to 21 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) extremely gravelly light clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; 65 percent gravel; underside of pebbles are coated with calcium carbonate; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2BC--21 to 34 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly coarse sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; single grained; loose; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
3BCk--34 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gravelly sandy loam consisting of weakly cemented calcium carbonate with waterworn pebbles and cobbles.
TYPE LOCATION: Harding County, New Mexico; about 2 miles north and 9 miles west of Logan; 720 feet north and 380 feet east of the SW corner section 29, T 14 N., R. 32 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 13 to 25 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 3 to 5. Texture is very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly loam.
The B horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5
moist, and chroma 3 to 6. Texture is extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, gravelly clay loam, or very gravelly loam. The gravel content ranges from 50 to 75 percent.
The BC horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 to 8 dry, 4 to
6 moist, and chroma from 2 to 5. The upper part of the C horizon
ranges from light sandy clay loam to clay loam and has 50 to 75
percent gravel. Calcium carbonate content of the Bk horizon exceeds 15 percent. Some pedons do not have 2BC and 3BCk horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These potentially are the Polar, and Powerline series, if active cation exchange activity class is assigned. Similar soils are the Chilicotal, Gallen, Gilland, and Tombstone series. Polar soils do not have a lithologic discontinuity. Powerline soils have a paralithic contact between 20 and 40 inches of the surface. Chilicotal, Gallen, Gilland, and Tombstone soils are in the superactive cation exchange activity class family. In addition, Chilicotal soils contain igneous pebbles, Gallen soils have discontinuities that are sandy, Gilland soils have a paralithic contact between 20 and 30 inches of the surface, and Tombstone soils do not have lithologic discontinuities.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Gallegos soils are on old stream terraces. Slope gradients are dominantly between 5 and 25 percent, but range from 1 to 50 percent. The soils formed in calcareous sand, gravel, and cobbles. At the type location, the average annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches. The average annual temperature is 55 to 60 degrees F. The frost-free season is 160 to 180 days. Elevations ranges from 3,800 to 4,700 feet. Thornthwaite P-E Index is 24.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Pajarito,
Quay, and
Tucumcari soils. Pajarito soils are coarse-loamy and lack a calcic horizon. Quay soils are calcareous to the surface and contain few pebbles and cobbles. Tucumcari soils have an argillic horizon and do not have a strong zone of calcium carbonate accumulation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff is very low on 1 to 5 percent slopes, low on 5 to 20 percent, and medium on slopes greater than 20 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used entirely as rangeland. Vegetation is principally short grasses including blue grama, galleta, sideoats grama, and black grama, and scattered shrubs of mesquite, yucca, and catclaw.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and eastern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tucumcari Area, New Mexico, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 3 to 15 percent. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon: 15 to 21 percent. (Bk horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: None