LOCATION HIGHLONESOME NM

Established Series
Rev GWC-DAW
08/2021

HIGHLONESOME SERIES

The Highlonesome series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on alluvial flats, playa steps, playa slopes and playas. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 68 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Sodic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Highlonesome loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

An--0 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) broken face loam, weak red (7.5R 4/3) broken face, moist; 40 percent sand; 34 percent silt; 26 percent clay; weak thin platy structure, and weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, noncemented, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and salt, finely disseminated throughout; electrical conductivity of 2.1 mmhos/cm by ec meter, saturated paste, very slightly saline; violent effervescence, by HCl, 1 normal; strongly alkaline, pH 8.6, pH meter; clear smooth boundary.

Bknz1--12 to 32 inches; light gray (7.5YR 7/1) broken face clay loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) broken face, moist; 30 percent sand; 37 percent silt; 33 percent clay; moderate fine granular structure; friable, slightly hard, noncemented, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and salt, finely disseminated throughout and 7 percent fine irregular carbonate masses in matrix; electrical conductivity of 4.6 mmhos/cm by ec meter, saturated paste, slightly saline; strong effervescence, by HCl, 1 normal; very strongly alkaline, pH 9.7, pH meter; diffuse smooth boundary.

Bknz2--32 to 61 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) broken face clay loam, light gray (7.5YR 7/1) broken face, moist; 30 percent sand; 35 percent silt; 35 percent clay; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; firm, moderately hard, noncemented, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and salt, finely disseminated throughout and 10 percent fine irregular carbonate masses in matrix; electrical conductivity of 4.4 mmhos/cm by ec meter, saturated paste, slightly saline; strong effervescence, by HCl, 1 normal; very strongly alkaline, pH 9.7, pH meter.

TYPE LOCATION: Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Latitude: 32 degrees 15 minutes 8.29 seconds north, Longitude: 108 degrees 57 minutes 4.1 seconds west, WGS 84; UTM Easting: 693012 meters, UTM Northing: 3570246 meters. UTM zone 12.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime based on precipitation. Moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July - April. Driest during May and June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 15 dS/m
Reaction: moderately to very strongly alkaline

An horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay, silty clay
Clay: 14 to 45 percent
Rock Fragments: 0 to 8 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly to very strongly alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to slightly saline
Sodicity: non-sodic to sodic

Bknz horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loamy fine sand, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam, gravelly clay loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay, silty clay
Clay: 5 to 55 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately to very strongly alkaline
Salinity: non-saline to strongly saline
Sodicity: Sodic

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Highlonesome soils are on alluvial flats, playa steps, playa slopes and playas. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,982 to 4,039 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 Hondale(NM), Turney(NM), Vado(NM), Yturbide(NM), and Ubar(NM) soils. Hondale soils are on sodic playas and are fine textured. Turney soils are on alluvial flats and are non-sodic. Vado soils are on shore-complexes and have greater than 35 percent coarse fragments. Yturbide soils are on playa dunes and sandsheets and are sandy. Ubar soils are on alluvial flats and playas and are fine textured and non-sodic.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; negligible runoff; rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is rangeland. Native vegetation is alkali Sacaton, sueda nigra, tubercled saltbush, sixweeks grama, and tobosagrass. Barren areas are caused by sodium and other salts and extensive ponding.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Animas Valley Playas, New Mexico. MLRA 41, Highlonesome is of limited extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES PROPOSED: Animas Valley Playas Project, Hidalgo County, New Mexico, 2017. The name Highlonesome is derived from a local stock tank.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bknz1, Bknz2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (An horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 12 to 60 inches (Bknz horizons)

Salt accumulations - the zone from 12 to 60 inches (Bknz horizons)

Soils classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Twelfth Edition, 2014

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.