LOCATION HOLLIDAY NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Holliday sandy loam - rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft and loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary (0 to 5 inches thick).
Bt1--2 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; neutral; clear smooth boundary (4 to 8 inches thick).
Bt2--8 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very stony sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent stones and 20 percent cobble; neutral; clear smooth boundary (6 to 10 inches thick).
Bt3--15 to 21 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very cobbly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; 15 percent gravel, 10 percent stones and 25 percent cobble; neutral; clear smooth boundary (4 to 8 inches thick).
Bt4--21 to 33 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very cobbly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; 10 percent gravel and 40 percent cobble; neutral; clear smooth boundary (8 to 14 inches thick).
BCt1--33 to 51 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) very cobbly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; 15 percent gravel and 40 percent cobble; neutral; clear smooth boundary (15 to 20 inches thick).
BCt2--51 to 70 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; massive and single grain; soft and loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; 20 percent gravel and 45 percent cobble; neutral; clear smooth boundary (0 to 20 inches thick).
C--70 to 83 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; 20 percent gravel and 45 percent cobble; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, (Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project), New Mexico; 180 feet south of arroyo; SE 1/4, SE 1/4, SW 1/4 of Section 23, T.22 S., R.4 E.; 106 degrees 30 minutes 42 seconds west longitude, 32 degrees 22 minutes 24 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. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 59 to 65 degrees F.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Percent clay: 5 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section
Rock fragments: 10 to 60 percent gravel, 10 to 60 percent cobble, and 10 to 60 percent stone
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 2 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 5, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam
BCt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Caralampi (AZ), Coxwell (NM), Hartpeak (CA), Hoppswell (NV), Maloy (AZ) and Monza (NM) series. Caralampi, Hoppswell, Monza, and Maloy soils contain more than 18 percent clay. Coxwell, Hartpeak, and Monza soils have bedrock at moderate depths.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Holliday soils are on alluvial fans and fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 4 to 12 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 5,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 13 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 57 to 63 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 160 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Soledad soils and the Aladdin, Caralampi, Coxranch, Earp, and Hawkeye soils. Aladdin, Earp and Hawkeye soils have mollic epipedons. Caralampi soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the particle size control section. Coxranch soils have sandy clay loam argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes three-awn, fluffgrass, black grama, bush muhly, prickly pear, snakeweed, Mormontea, catclaw and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. The series is of small extent. 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 2 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 33 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 horizons)
This series represents an identified soil on the Cox Ranch near 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: Data from the pedon at site 2 (in Gile, L.H. 1987. Late Holocene displacement along the Organ Mountains fault in southern New Mexico. New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources Circular 196) support the classification. Data from five additional sites in the same report also illustrate Holliday soils.
Updated competing series section 3/13/08, CEM