LOCATION KWAHE NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Chromic Haplotorrerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Kwahe clay--on a playa floor sloping less than 1 percent at 6,854 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on May 28, 2002, the soil was dry 0 to 15 inches, slightly moist 15 to 45 inches, and moist 45 to 60 inches.)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; common medium and few fine roots; common medium irregularly shaped pores; very fine distinct pressure faces on ped faces; strongly effervescent (19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bss--3 to 15 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and common medium roots; common fine and common medium irregularly shaped pores; common faint slickensides; common distinct and common faint pressure faces on faces of peds; few fine irregularly shaped salt crystals; strongly effervescent (19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bssg1--15 to 30 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine, few fine, and few medium roots; common fine irregularly shaped pores; common distinct slickensides; common distinct pressure faces; common distinct medium redoximorphic features strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), dry or moist; common distinct salt crystals; strongly effervescent (21 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary.
Bssg2--30 to 45 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) clay, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; very few fine roots; few fine irregularly shaped pores; common distinct slickensides; common distinct pressure faces; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) dry, and many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist, redoximorphic features; common distinct salt masses); strongly effervescent (22 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
Bssg3--45 to 60 inches; olive (5Y 5/4) clay, olive (5Y 5/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine irregularly shaped pores; many distinct slickensides; many distinct pressure faces; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) dry and moist, redoximorphic features; few distinct and common distinct salt crystals; strongly effervescent (23 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); (combined thickness of Bssgy horizons is 46 to 70 inches).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 2 miles southwest of White Lakes; 898 feet west and 2,744 feet south of the northeast corner of Section 18, T11N, R11E; USGS White Lakes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 10 minutes 43.3 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 48 minutes 22.2 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section (SMCS) is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. Additional run-on occurs from July through September. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic aridic.
Soil temperature - 51 to 53 degrees F.
Particle-size control section weighted averages:
Silicate clay content: 40 to 55 percent
Sand content: (range) percent: 25 to 35
Fine sand or coarser content: (range) 20 to 30 percent
Rock fragment content: less than 1 percent
Salinity: dS/m - 0 to 2
Sodicity: SAR - 0 to 4
A horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
Bssy horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: less than 1 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
Bssyg horizons
Value: 4 to 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no competing series. A similar soil in a different family is the
Moriartche series. Morartche soils have a superactive activity class.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kwahe soils are on playa floors. They formed in eolian materials over alluvial deposits derived from shale. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,000 to 7,200 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. These soils receive an additional 1 to 2 inches of run-on moisture from flooding. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Stanley and Triane soils. Stanley soils are very fine and occur on playa floors. Triane soils are fine, have a cambic horizon, and occur on playa rims
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; runoff is negligible; permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Kwahe soils are used for livestock grazing and ponds. Present vegetation is western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kwahe soils are of small extent in the northeastern 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. Kwahe is a street name in Santa Fe. This series was first proposed with the name Klycos.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 inches to a depth of about 3 inches. (A horizon)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The series type location has been sampled for full characterization by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S-NM-02-049-08; Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a field calcimeter.