LOCATION HARSES                  NM

Established Series
Rev GWC
12/2014

HARSES SERIES

The Harses series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in gypseous eolian sands. These nearly level soils are on playa steps. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Hypergypsic, thermic Typic Torripsamments

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

Ayyz--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gypsiferous loamy fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; 4 percent clay; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; salt, finely disseminated throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 51 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 20.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Cyyz1--2 to 5 inches (5 to 13 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gypsiferous loamy very fine sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), moist; 4 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots throughout; many very fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; salt, finely disseminated throughout and carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; very slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 68 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 14.7 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Cyyz2--5 to 18 inches (13 to 46 cm); very pale brown (10YR 8.5/2) gypsiferous loamy fine sand, very pale brown (10YR 8/2), moist; 3 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; many very fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; very slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 74 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 8.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; gradual smooth boundary.

Cyyz3--18 to 32 inches (46 to 81 cm); very pale yellow (2.5Y 9.5/2) gypsiferous sand, very pale yellow (2.5Y 9/2), moist; 2 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; many very fine irregular pores; many medium irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 78 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 9.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; gradual smooth boundary.

Cyyz4--32 to 60 inches (81 to 152 cm); very pale yellow (2.5Y 9.5/2) gypsiferous sand, very pale yellow (2.5Y 9/2), moist; 2 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; many medium irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 78 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 8.9 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. USGS Quad Lost River; Latitude: 32 degrees 58 minutes 37.60 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 14 minutes 17.70 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 384295 meters, UTM Northing: 3649431 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 below 40 inches in most years

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Electrical conductivity: 8 to 29 dS/m
Percent gypsum: 50 to 95 percent

Ayyz horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand
Clay: 1 to 5 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: moderately to strongly saline
Gypsum: 50 to 90 percent

Cyyz horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5YR
Value: 7 to 9.5 dry, 6 to 9 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous loamy very fine sand
Clay: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: slightly to strongly saline
Gypsum: 65 to 95 percent

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lark series. Lark soils have electrical conductivities ranging from 3 to 8 dS/m.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Harses soils are on playa steps, generally leeward of playas. Slope is 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed from gypseous eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,900 to 4,130 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 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lark, Astrobee, Gyplaya, and Transformer soils. Lark soils have electrical conductivities ranging from 3 to 8 dS/m. Astrobee soils have pedogenic gypsum masses within 7 inches of the soil surface. Gyplaya soils have salic horizons and a water table within 20 inches. Transformer soils have a water table within 30 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible runoff; moderately rapid permeability. Water table is greater than 40 inches in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, James' seaheath, New Mexico bluestem, Trans-Pecos false clapdaisy and Trans-Pecos sea lavender.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014.

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

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches (Ayyz horizon)

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.