LOCATION HACHITA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Hachita gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface has a desert pavement of pitted and varnished fine rhyolite gravel; a discontinuous layer of loose reddish sand occurs between the gravel.
E1--0 to 0.5 inch; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many large vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
E2--0.5 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and very fine platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 25 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Bt--2 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; faint discontinuous coatings of silicate clay on gravel and sand grains and some clay bridges; 40 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Btk--6 to 11 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium and common fine roots; 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; powdery calcium carbonate coatings intermingled with reddish brown clay coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bkm1--11 to 12 inches; the laminar subhorizon occurs in the upper 1/4 to 1/2 inch; uppermost laminae are pink (7.5YR 7/4), light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist and score readily with a knife; remaining laminae score difficulty with a knife and range from white (10YR 8/1), very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist, to very pale brown (10YR 7/4), light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; underlying the laminar subhorizon is pink (7.5YR 7/4), light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist, massively cemented material; very and extremely hard; strongly effervescent; powdery, white calcium carbonate coatings on most gravel with flaky, brittle, olive colored coatings occurring on some gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bkm2--12 to 25 inches; pink (5YR 8/3) massively cemented material, pink (5YR 7/4) moist, or white (10YR 8/1), very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; some interstice fillings are pinkish gray (5YR 7/2), light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; dominantly very hard with some parts only weakly cemented; the upper 10 inches contains cracks filled with reddish brown loam in which roots are concentrated; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 25 inches thick)
Bk--25 to 62 inches; mostly lenses of fine gravel and weakly cemented fine gravel with pockets of light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very hard but nonindurated loamy material, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; few fine roots; 55 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; gravel in loose bands have hard, flaky carbonate coatings on undersides, many fine calcium carbonate nodules in loamy material; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, (Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project), New Mexico; north bank of arroyo, about 1,500 feet east of pipeline and about 500 feet west of section line road; SE 1/4, SE 1/4, of section 19, T.23 S., R.3 E.; 106 degrees 40 minutes 2 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees 17 minutes 17 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and December through April. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 59 to 66 degrees F.
Depth to petrocalcic: 7 to 20 inches
Clay content: 14 to 35 percent
Depth to free calcium carbonate: 6 to 10 inches
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent in the particle size control section
E horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 5, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam
Bkm horizon
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, 5YR
Value: 7 through 9 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 through 9 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Delthorny (AZ) and Splotter (NM) series, Delthorny soils have bedrock (conglomerate) under the hardpan. Splotter soils do not have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hachita soils are on alluvial terraces, fans and terraces. Slopes range from 1 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 4,100 to 4,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 58 to 64 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 190 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Algerita, Arizo, Casito, Delnorte, Monterosa, Nolam and Terino soils. Algerita, Arizo, Delnorte and Monterosa soils lack argillic horizons, Casito and Terino soils have higher organic carbon content, additionally Casito soils have some macroscopic carbonate in all subhorizons of the argillic horizon and Nolam soils do not have a petrocalcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes creosotebush, whitethorn and range ratany.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA is 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico, (Desert Project); 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 6 inches (E1, E2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 11 inches (Bt, Btk horizons)
Petrocalcic horizon - The zone from 11 to 25 inches (Bkm1, Bkm2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999
This series represents an identified soil within the Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project, Las Cruces, New Mexico. The project was a study of soils and geomorphology in an arid and semi-arid environment. The series is extensively referenced in many documents, publications and thesis. Revision outside the project area is discouraged in order to preserve the historical concept for research.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data for the typical pedon (S59(61) NMex-7-16) are on pages 790 and 791 in Gile, L.H. and R.B. Grossman. 1979. The Desert Project Soil Monograph. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA.