LOCATION GOLDUST NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Goldust very gravelly clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; about 55 percent pebbles and cobbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 19 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; about 30 percent pebbles and cobbles; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--19 to 32 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; about 45 percent pebbles and cobbles; common thin clay films on faces of peds and between mineral grains;; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bk--32 to 40 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; about 45 percent pebbles and cobbles; slightly effervescent; few fine calcium carbonate accumulations; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C--40 to 60 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and few fine interstitial pores; about 60 percent pebbles and cobbles; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sierra County, New Mexico; about 6 miles north and 5 miles west of the Ladder Ranch Headquarters; 1,760 feet south and 240 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 6, T. 14 S., R. 7 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for 45 or more days consecutively in the 120 days following the summer solstice. It is not moist in all parts for 45 consecutive days in the 120 days following the winter solstice. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 56 degrees
Depth to the base of the Bt: 13 to 35 inches
Particle-size control section: 10 to 15 percent cobbles, 25 to 45 percent pebbles, 35 to 59 percent clay on a weighted average.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Fine-earth fraction: sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay loam or clay
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Fine-earth fraction: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam or sandy clay
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Parquat (NM), Stroupe (NM), Tafoya (NM) and Veldcamp (CO) series. Parquat soils have calcic horizons. Stroupe soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Tafoya and Veldcamp soils are dry in all parts of the soil moisture control section for less than 45 consecutive days in the 120 days following the summer solstice. In addition, Veldcamp soils lack a horizon with calcium carbonate accumulations.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goldust soils are on piedmonts at elevations of 5,200 to 7,400 feet. Slopes are 2 to 55 percent. These soils formed in alluvial and colluvial deposits of mixed materials from sedimentary and igneous rock. The climate is semi-arid with mean annual temperature of 47 to 54 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 11 to 15 inches with about 70 percent falling during the frost-free period. The frost-free period is about 120 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cabezon, Fallsam and Thunderbird soils. Cabezon soils lack skeletal control sections and are on basalt covered hills. Fallsam soils have thicker mollic epipedons, lack skeletal control sections, and occur on lower slopes. Thunderbird soils lack skeletal control sections, are 20 to 40 inches to basalt bedrock, and occur on hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium and rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native rangeland and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is black grama, blue grama, sideoats grama, little bluestem, hairy grama, cane bluestem, and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 38.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sierra County, New Mexico, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedons: 0 to 19 inches
Argillic horizon: 8 to 32 inches