LOCATION JERAG                   NM+TX

Established Series
Rev. JFR/BDS/RLB
07/2012

JERAG SERIES

The Jerag series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in alluvium modified by eolian sands. Permeability is moderately slow above and below the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon. These soils are on fan piedmonts and fan remnants. Slope ranges from 0 to 10 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 13 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 60 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Ustalfic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Jerag very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 3 inches thick)

Bt--3 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

Bk--9 to 19 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles of cemented calcium carbonate; exteriors of fragments are very pale brown (10YR 7/4) and the interiors are very pale brown (10YR 8/2); slight effervescence, by HCL, 1 normal; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

Bkkm--19 to 25 inches; white (10YR 8/1) Indurated cemented pan; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) moist; massive; very strongly cemented, strongly effervescent; by HCL, 1 normal; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

2Bk--25 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly plastic; 30 percent very hard and extremely hard strongly cemented angular calcium carbonate fragments; strong effervescence, by HCL, 1 normal; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; 360 feet west and 210 feet north of the southeast corner of the SW1/4 NW1/4 sec. 14, T.26S. R.11E. USGS Bassett Lake topographic quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry in all parts less than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Ustic aridic moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.

Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 14 to 20 inches

A and Bt horizons most often lack fine carbonates, but some pedons have segregated lime in the form of soft masses and concretions.

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 to 6 moist

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR,
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Structure: ranges from weak to moderate medium to fine subangular blocky

Bk horizon
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly loam, gravelly silt loam
Structure: ranges from weak very fine through medium subangular blocky or it is massive
Gravel content of the Bk horizon ranges from 25 to 35 percent

Bkkm horizon is continuously indurated except for scattered cracks and pockets. The laminar cap may or may not be present.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buntline (AZ), Palo (NM), and Vana (AZ) series. Buntline and Vana soils mean annual soil temperature range from 62 to 69 degrees. Palo soils have hue redder than 5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jerag soils are on fan piedmonts and fan remnants. They formed in alluvium modified by eolian sands. Slopes range from 0 to 10 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 6,000 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 58 to 61 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 180 days. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arch, Dozier, and Reyab soils. Arch, Dozier and Reyab soils do not have argillic and petrocalcic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; very high runoff; permeability is moderately slow above and below the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the mixed prairie type consisting of blue grama, black grama, vine-mesquite, New Mexico feathergrass, tobosa, sand muhly, sand dropseed, three awns, Globe mallow, croton, yucca, winterfat, and snakeweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central New Mexico. The series is of small extent. MLRA 42.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County (Otero Area), New Mexico, 1976.

REMARKS: The classification was changed based on characterization data from sample S74-NM35-4 (1 to 6). The epipedon was higher in organic carbon than expected.

Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: The zone from 3 to 19 inches. (Bt and Bk horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 3 to 9 inches (Bt Horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 9 to 19 inches (Bk horizon)

Petrocalcic horizon - the zone from 19 to 25 inches (Bkm horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.