LOCATION GOMEZ                   TX+NM

Established Series
Rev. TCB-JKA-RM
03/2016

GOMEZ SERIES

The Gomez series consists of deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils. These soils formed in sandy and loamy calcareous eolian or fluvial sediments in the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age. These soils are on nearly level and gently sloping plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 483 mm (19 in) and the mean annual air temperature is 16 degrees C (61 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Aridic Calciustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Gomez loamy fine sand, on an east-facing, concave, 0.2 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 966 meters (3,170 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 38 cm (0 to 15 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; soft, very friable; many very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary. (30 to 51 cm [12 to 20 in] thick)

Bk1--38 to 84 cm (15 to 33 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic and weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; many fine and medium pores; common threads of calcium carbonate in lower part; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 51 cm [8 to 20 in] thick)

Bk2--84 to 127 cm (33 to 50 in); pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) fine sandy loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; 25 percent of mass is weakly cemented concretions up to about 8 mm across and disseminated calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary. (30 to 51 cm [12 to 20 in] thick)

Bk3--127 to 203 cm (50 to 80 in); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; loose, soft; contains few weakly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate 2 to 8 mm across; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Terry County, Texas; From the intersection of U.S. Highways 380 and 82 in Brownfield; 12.9 kilometers (8 miles) east on U.S. Highway 380; 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south on county road; 107 meters (350 ft) east in rangeland; Latitude: 33 degrees, 08 minutes, 39 seconds N; Longitude: 102 degrees, 08 minutes, 25 seconds W; Brownfield East, Texas USGS quad; NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 205 days, cumulative, in normal years. April and October through November are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in December through March and May through September.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15 to 19 degrees C (59 to 67 degrees F).
Depth to secondary carbonates: 30 to 51 cm (12 to 20 in).
Depth to calcic horizon: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in).
Solum thickness: 76 to 152 cm (30 to 60 in).
Particle-size control section: 10 to 18 percent silicate clay.

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, fine sand
Rock fragments: 0 to 3 percent, strongly cemented, mixed origin gravel
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, strongly cemented, mixed origin gravel
Effervescence: strong or violent
Secondary carbonates: 15 to 40 percent in the form of films, threads, masses, and concretions.
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, strongly cemented, mixed origin gravel
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Similar series are the Blakeney, Dill, Hardeman, Hext, Kinco, Midessa, Mobeetie, Otero, Spade, and Vona series.
Blakeney series: have a petrocalcic horizon within 50 cm (20 in) from the soil surface.
Hext series: is moderately deep and is moist in the moisture control section for longer periods of time.
Kinco series: is dry for longer periods of time.
Midessa series: has more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Mobeetie, Spade, Dill, and Hardeman series: do not have a calcic horizon, and, in addition, Spade soils have sandstone bedrock within 100 cm (40 in).
Otero and Vona series: have average soil temperatures of less than 15 degrees C (59 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: sandy and loamy calcareous eolian or fluvial sediments of the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: nearly level to undulating, concave plains in broad, shallow basins.
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 14 to 18 degrees C (57 to 65 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 406 to 559 mm (16 to 22 in).
Frost-free period: 180 to 220 days.
Elevation: 762 to 1,433 m (2,500 to 4,700 ft).
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 22 to 28.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arch, Drake, Midessa, Milsand, Portales, and Zita series.
Arch soils: are on lower landscape positions and have carbonatic mineralogy.
Drake soils: are on higher landscape positions and do not have a calcic horizon.
Midessa, Milsand, Portales, and Zita soils: are on similar landscape positions, and in addition Portales and Zita soils have a mollic epipedon.
Milsand soils: are on similar landscape positions and have a sandy particle size class in the particle size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderately rapid permeability. Surface runoff is negligible on 1 to 3 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for crop production but also used for livestock grazing. Principal crops grown are cotton and grain sorghum. Climax native vegetation is tall and mid grasses, with tall grasses tending to dominate. This site is dominated by little and sand bluestem along with taller dropseed species. The remainder is mid and short grasses such as sideoats grama, sand dropseed, hooded windmillgrass, sand lovegrass, sand paspalum, fall witchgrass, hairy grama, needle and thread, and perennial threeawn. Sand sage, shinoak, and skunkbush are also present. This soil has been correlated to the Sandy (077CY035TX) range site in MLRA-77.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Southern Part (MLRA 77C in LRR H) of west Texas and eastern New Mexico. The soil is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Terry County, Texas; 1960.

REMARKS: Series revised MLRA-77 Soil Survey; Terry County, Texas; 1998 and update in 2007.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 38 cm (0 to 15 in) (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: 84 to 203 cm (33 to 80 in) (Bk2, Bk3 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from Curry County, NM (S90NM-009-002) and Terry County, TX (S95TX-445-048).

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.