LOCATION GYPLAYA                 NM

Established Series
Rev GWC
12/2014

GYPLAYA SERIES

The Gyplaya series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in gypsiferous eolian sands. These nearly level soils are on playas bordering gypsum dune fields. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, hypergypsic, thermic Typic Aquisalids

TYPICAL PEDON: Gyplaya gypsiferous sand rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

Anyyz--0 to 1 inches (0 to 1 cm); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gypsiferous sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist; 2 percent clay; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; salt, finely disseminated and many medium irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 73 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 150.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; very abrupt smooth boundary.

Cnyyz1--1 to 6 inches (1 to 15 cm); white (10YR 8.5/1) gypsiferous loamy fine sand, white (10YR 8/1), moist; 6 percent clay; weak very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; many fine irregular gypsum crystals and common very fine irregular salt crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 84 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 59.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; clear wavy boundary.

Cnyyz2--6 to 26 inches (15 to 66 cm); 10 percent yellow (10YR 7/6) and 90 percent white (10YR 9.5/1) gypsiferous fine sand, 10 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and 90 percent white (10YR 9/1), moist; 2 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium tubular and many very fine irregular pores; salt, finely disseminated and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 92 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 50.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; clear wavy boundary.

Cnyyz3--26 to 60 inches (66 to 152 cm); white (2.5Y 9.5/1) gypsiferous fine sand, white (2.5Y 9/1), moist; 2 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium tubular and many very fine irregular pores; salt, finely disseminated and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 94 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 52.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. USGS Quad Lost River; Latitude: 32 degrees 58 minutes 11.58 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 14 minutes 58.70 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 383216 meters, UTM Northing: 3648640 meters. UTM zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry all in parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Soil Moisture: water table is at 20 to 40 inches in most years

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 2 to 6 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Electrical conductivity: 30 to 60 dS/m
Percent gypsum: 70 to 95 percent

Anyyz horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay: 1 to 8 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Gypsum: 65 to 90 percent

Cnyyz horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 7 to 9.5 dry, 6 to 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay: 2 to 8 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Gypsum: 70 to 95 percent

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gyplaya soils are on playas. Slope is 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in gypseous eolian sands. Elevation ranges from 3,900 to 4,100 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 66 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lark, Astrobee, Harses, and Transformer soils. Lark soils have electrical conductivities ranging from 3 to 6 dS/m. Astrobee soils have pedogenic gypsum masses within 7 inches of the soil surface, Harses soils do not have salic horizons and have a water table greater than 40 inches. Transformer soils have electrical conductivities ranging from 4 to 18 dS/m.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; negligible runoff; rapid permeability. Water table ranges from 20 to 40 inches during most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Gyplaya soils are normally devoid of vegetation due to annual ponding. Vegetation occurs in a thin strip along the edge of the playas where ponding does not occur. Native vegetation is inland salt grass, iodine bush and alkali sacaton.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the gypsum mineralogy playas of the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Gyplaya is of limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Gyplaya is derived from the gypsum mineralogy playas where the type location occurs.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Cnyyz horizons)

Ochric epidedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inches (Anyyz horizon)

Salic horizon - the zone from 0 to 60 inches (Anyyz and Cnyyz horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.