LOCATION GALLEN NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gallen very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium roots; 40 percent pebbles; calcium coatings on undersides of pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 33cm thick)
Bk1--10 to 38 cm (4 to 15 in); reddish brown (5YR 5/3) extremely gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 70 percent pebbles; calcium carbonate coatings on all sides of pebbles; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 41 cm thick)
Bk2--38 to 64 cm (15 to 25 in); light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; 80 percent pebbles; coatings of calcium carbonate on undersides of pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 38 cm thick)
2Bky1--64 to 76 cm (25 to 30 in); light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sand; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; 90 percent pebbles; coatings of calcium carbonate on underside of pebbles; few sand size gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)
2Bky2--76 to 150 cm (30 to 60 in); yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 50 percent pebbles; some undersides of pebbles coated with calcium carbonate; pendants of gypsum on undersides of pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Chaves County, New Mexico; 750 feet east and 1,900 feet south of northwest corner, sec. 24, T. 4 S., R. 25 E.; Latitude: 33 degrees, 56 minutes, 49 seconds N.; Longitude: 104 degrees, 16 minutes, 33 seconds W; Deering Place, New Mexico Quad; NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil is intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section November through March and June through September.
Mean annual soil temperature: 14 to 20 degrees C (57 to 68 degrees F).
Particle size control section: 10 to 18 percent clay, 35 to 90 percent coarse fragments
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sandy loam or loam (gravelly to extremely gravelly counterparts)
Bk horizon, or Bw horizon (where present):
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam (gravelly to extremely gravelly counterparts)
Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 15 to 40 percent.
2Bky horizon (where present):
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam (gravelly to extremely gravelly counterparts)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Chilicotal (TX),
Gilland (NM),
Polar (TX),
Powerline (AZ) and
Tombstone (AZ) series.
Chilicotal soils: 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle size control section
Gilland soils: paralithic contact at 50 to 76 cm
Polar soils: moist for longer periods in the moisture control section mainly in spring
Powerline soils: 50 to 100 cm to a paralithic contact
Tombstone soils: receive significant winter precipitation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: gravelly calcareous alluvium
Landform: hillslopes and fan terraces
Slope: 1 to 50 percent
Mean annual temperature: 14 to 20 degrees C (57 to 68 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 305 to 381 mm (12 to 15 in).
Precipitation pattern: Most precipitation occurs in the summer during brief heavy thunderstorms
Frost-free period: 180 to 240 days.
Elevation: 1,060 to 1,620 meters (3,800 to 5,400 ft).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ratliff and Redona soils. Ratliff and Redona soils: have less than five percent pebbles in the control section and are on higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 3 percent, very low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, low on 5 to 10 percent slopes, medium on 10 to 20 percent slopes, and high on slopes greater than 20 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Primarily used for livestock grazing. Present native vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, black grama, threeawn, and fourwing saltbush. The ecological site is Gravelly (R070XB065NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper Pecos River Valley (MLRA 70B in LRR G) of east central New Mexico. Gallen soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chaves County (North Part), New Mexico, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 cm (A horizon).
Calcic horizon: 10 to 64 cm. (Bk horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.