LOCATION HERBEL NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Herbel sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy and weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; thin discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bk1--2 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; weak stratification in some of the lower part; strongly effervescent; thin discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt and clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--9 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; weak stratification in some of the lower part; strongly effervescent; thin discontinuous coatings of calcium carbonate on gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt and clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk3--17 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; strongly effervescent; thin, mostly discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bk4--23 to 33 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; strongly effervescent; thin, mostly discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bk5--33 to 39 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; strongly effervescent; thin discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bk6--39 to 43 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; thin, discontinuous calcium carbonate coatings on gravel; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C1--43 to 49 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very gravelly sand, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C2--49 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly sand, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, (Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project), New Mexico; north bank of arroyo; NW1/4, NW1/4, SE1/4, of section 28, T.21 S., R.2 E.; 106 degrees, 44 minutes, 40 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees, 27 minutes, 7 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during December through April and for more than 20 days cumulative during July through September. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 59 to 65 degrees
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Rock Fragments: Some thin horizons may be very gravelly, but the particle size control section averages between 0 and 35 percent
Calcium carbonate: Typically effervescent throughout; some pedons are noneffervescent to depths of 9 inches
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand, sandy loam
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam
C horizon (when present)
Hue: 7.YR, 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand, sandy loam
Buried soils are common in these soils.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bitterwater (CA), Circular (AZ), Elkhills (CA), Granitepass (CA), Kimberlina (CA), Machone (CA), McCullough (NV) and Seaman (NV) series. Bitterwater, Circular, Elkhills, Granitepass, Kimberlina, Machone, McCullough and Seaman soils are in the Mohave Desert (MLRA 30), receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Herbel soils are on alluvial fans and coalescent fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 1 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 3,700 to 4,900 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 Onite, Hachita, Nolam, Agustin, Pajarito, Canutio, Stagecoach, Delnorte and Anthony soils. Onite, Hachita and Nolam soils have argillic horizons. Agustin and Pajarito soils have cambic horizons. Canutio soils contain more than 35 percent rock fragments. Stagecoach soils have calcic horizons and contain more than 35 percent rock fragments. Anthony soils have more than 0.2 percent organic carbon at a depth of 125 cm and/or organic carbon decreases irregularly with depth.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes creosotebush, tarbush, snakeweed, bush muhly and fluffgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico. Herbel soils are of small extent. This soil occurs in LRR-D, MLRA 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 9 inches (A, Bk1 horizons)
Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons
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.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
When the competing series section was updated in September 2001, questions were raised about the description and/or the classification of this series. It was suggested that this soil should classify in the great group of Haplocambids. A field study of the type location is recommended to resolve the questions.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data - S91-NM-013-11, NSSL, Lincoln, NE.