LOCATION KENHILL                 NM

Established Series
Rev. TAC-TCB-RM
05/2016

KENHILL SERIES

The Kenhill series consists of soils that are moderately deep, well drained, and moderately permeable above a very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon. These soils formed in calcareous, loamy eolian deposits in the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age. Kenhill soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 406 mm (16 in) and the mean annual temperature is 15 degrees C (59 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Petrocalcic Paleustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Kenhill loam, on a very gently sloping plain, 1 percent slopes in rangeland at an elevation of 1,407 m (4,616 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness is 10 to 25 cm [4 to 10 in].)

Bt1--15 to 33 cm (6 to 13 in); brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; many continuous and prominent clay films on ped surfaces; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--33 to 52 cm (13 to 20 in); brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots throughout; many continuous and prominent clay films on ped surfaces; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bt3--52 to 72 cm (20 to 28 in); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots throughout; common discontinuous and distinct clay films on ped surfaces; very slightly effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 40 to 80 cm [16 to 31 in].)

Bkkm--72 to 110 cm (28 to 43 in); pink (7.5YR 8/3) indurated platy caliche; pink (7.5YR 7/3) moist; laminar in the upper 2 inches; undersides of plates have small pendants of calcium carbonate up to 1 cm in length; common fine roots in cracks; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline. (Thickness is 10 to 51 cm [4 to 20 in].)

Bkk1--110 to 129 cm (43 to 51 in); white (7.5YR 8/1) coarse sandy loam, pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; about 50 percent by volume moderately cemented calcium carbonate nodules and about 30 percent finely disseminated carbonates throughout; about 79 percent calcium carbonate by weight; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bkk2--129 to 173 cm (51 to 68 in); white (7.5YR 8/1) clay loam, pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; about 80 percent calcium carbonate by volume as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; about 75 percent calcium carbonate by weight; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkk horizons is 51 to 125 cm [20 to 49 in].)

Bkk3--173 to 203 cm (68 to 80 in); pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) clay loam, pink (7.5YR 8/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; about 60 percent calcium carbonate by volume as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; about 52 percent calcium carbonate by weight; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Roosevelt County, New Mexico; from Kenna on Highway 70; approximately 0.7 miles north on Roosevelt County Road AR; 0.9 miles north on private road; 100 ft west in rangeland; SW of the SW of S. 14, T. 5 S, R. 30 E. of Section 14, Township 5 S, Range 30 E; Latitude: 33 degrees, 51 minute, 52.4 seconds N; Longitude: 103 degrees, 46 minutes, 6.6 seconds W; Kenna, New Mexico, USGS quad; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 205 but less than 270 days, cumulative, in normal years. November through April normally is the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in May through October.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F).
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in).
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay.
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm (80 in).

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam
Effervescence: none or very slight
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent films and threads
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Btk horizons (where present):
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 3 to 10 percent films and threads
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Bkkm horizon:
Thickness: dominantly 10 to 51 cm (4 to 20 in) thick, but ranges up to 60 cm (24 in) in some pedons.
Cementation: indurated or strongly cemented and contains a few fractures and solution channels.

Bkk horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: coarse sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 percent, gravel size, strongly cemented carbonate nodules
Visible calcium carbonate: 50 to 90 percent by volume as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate by weight: 40 to 80 percent
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils include the Aymate, Blakeney, Douro, Friona, Hilken, Kimbrough, Mariola, Pojo, and Spraberry (T-NM) series.
Aymate, Douro, Hilken, and Mariola soils: have less organic matter in the surface horizon and higher values and chromas.
Blakeney and Kimbrough soils: have mixed mineralogy and do not have argillic horizons.
Friona soils: are moist in the soil moisture control section for longer periods.
Pojo soils: have less organic matter in the surface horizon and higher values and chromas and have less than 18 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
Spraberry soils: have a petrocalcic horizon less than 50 cm (20in) deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy eolian deposits from the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: nearly level to very gently sloping plains.
Slope: 0 to 3 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 14 to 17 degrees C. (57 to 63 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 356 to 432 mm (14 to 17 in).
Frost-free period: 180 to 220 days.
Elevation: 762 to 1,463 m (2,500 to 4,800 ft).
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 22 to 26.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This includes the similar Kimbrough series.
Kimbrough soils: are on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately permeable above and below the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon. Surface runoff is negligible on less than 1 percent slopes and low on 1 to 3 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for rangeland. Small areas are used for irrigated cropland. Principal crops where irrigated are grain sorghum and wheat. Climax vegetation is dominantly short grasses with a few mid grasses and includes blue grama, black grama, and buffalograss, with lesser amounts of vine-mesquite, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, galleta, or tobosa, silver bluestem, wild alfalfa, and prairie clover. This soil has been correlated to the Loamy (R077DY042TX) ecological site in MLRA-77D.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains of eastern New Mexico (MLRA-77D). The series is of minor extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: MLRA-77 Soil Survey Update; Roosevelt County, New Mexico, 2016

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Friona series. Although color indicates a mollic epipedon to a depth of 52 cm (20 in), lab data suggests that organic carbon percent only allows for 33 cm (13 in) of mollic epipedon.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 33 cm (0 to13 in) A, Bt1 horizons.
Argillic horizon: 15 to 72 cm (6 to 28 in) Bt horizons.
Petrocalcic horizon: 72 to 110 cm (28 to 43 in) Bkkm horizon.
Calcic horizon: 110 to 203 cm (43 to 80 in) Bkk horizons.

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL - S10NM041005

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.