LOCATION HYER NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Hyer silt loam on a planar tread of an undulating plain sloping 1 percent to the southwest at 6467 feet elevation-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 25, 2001, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 2 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; common medium and common fine irregularly shaped pores; less than 1 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong medium subangualar blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky ; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and common very fine roots; common medium and common fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--6 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; common medium and common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--9 to 15 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent, strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 16 to 30 inches)
Btk1--15 to 24 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium and coarse soft masses on ped faces (3 percent CaCO3 equivalent), about 1 percent gravel as petronodes; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
Btk2--24 to 45 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine and common very fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few medium soft masses and common medium irregularly shaped filaments (1 percent CaCO3 equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btk horizon is 9 to 30 inches)
Bk1--45 to 61 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; none to slightly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats as soft masses on ped faces (1 percent CaCO3 equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--61 to 80 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds (13 percent CaCO3 equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 12 to 40 inches)
BC--80 to 100 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 7 miles east of Cedar Grove; USGS King Draw 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 10 minutes 41.8 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 04 minutes 01.8 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Soil temperature - 50 to 52 degrees F.
Thickness of ochric epipedon - 2 or 3 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate) - 14 to 24 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 45 to 65 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages
Silicate clay content: 24 to 34 percent
Sand content: 25 to 35 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 1 percent, lithology of fragments is monzonite.
Salinity: dS/m: 0 to 1
Sodicity: SAR: 0 to 4
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Bt1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, loam, or silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Lower Bt horizons
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Texture: silty clay loam or clay loam
Btk horizons
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Texture: loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Other features: Some portion of rock fragments are petronodes
Bk horizons
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam or loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
BC horizon
Texture: very fine sandy loam, or loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blanding, Depolvo, Nepesta, Tensleep, Wilid, and Wyotite series. Blanding soils have hue of 5YR or redder and receive appreciably more precipitation in the winter months. Depolvo soils have significant amounts of volcanic ash and mica in their profiles. Nepesta soils have thick Ap horizons and have epipedons that border mollic or anthropic. Tensleep soils have an argillic horizon less than 25 inches thick. Wilid and Wyotite soils have hue of 10YR or yellower and are more moist in May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hyer soils are on fan piedmonts. They formed in eolian deposits derived from sandstone and shale over alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 1 to 2 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 to 6,900 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 11 to 14 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Harvey, Lazarus, Palma, and Witt soils. Harvey soils are coarse loamy, do not have an argillic horizon, and occur on south facing backslopes of undulating plains. Lazarus soils have a thick mollic epipedon and are located on the floodplains of valley floors. Palma soils are coarse-loamy and are located on north facing backslopes of undulating plains. Witt soils have a calcic horizon and are on adjacent higher areas of summits of alluvial plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Hyer soils are used for urban development and livestock grazing. Present vegetation is blue grama, snakeweed, poverty threeawn, cheat grass, black grama, and walkingstick cholla.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Hyer soils are of small extent in the north-western part of the Estancia Basin in the Mexican Highland section of the Basin and Range physiographic province in northcentral New Mexico, MLRA 70C.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2002. The name is from a local landform feature, Hyer Draw.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - soil surface to a depth of 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - 2 inches to a depth of about 45 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.