LOCATION LAMESILLA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lamesilla very gravelly coarse sandy loam--on an inset fan sloping 9 percent to the west-southwest at 6,480 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was moist from 0 to 2 inches and dry below.)
AC1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregularly shaped pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
AC2--2 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; many very fine irregularly shaped pores; few thin lenses of very gravelly loamy coarse sand; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 20 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine and medium granular; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few coarse, few medium, and common very fine roots; many fine and many very fine irregularly shaped pores; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)
Bw2--20 to 34 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) with brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) and brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine and medium granular; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
Bw3--34 to 52 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) with brown (7.5YR 4/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, few fine, and common very fine roots; few fine tubular and common fine irregularly shaped pores; very few faint clay bridges between coarse sand grains; 40 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
Bk--52 to 65 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 24 inches thick)
C1--65 to 83 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; many thin strata of loam; 20 percent gravel; strongly to violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
C2--83 to 104 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many thin strata of gravelly sandy loam; 40 percent gravel; slightly to strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 21 inches thick)
C3--104 to 121 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 55 percent gravel; noneffervescent to slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 1 mile west-southwest of the old Horcado Ranch; 2,250 feet north and 2,500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 14, T.18N., R.8E.; USGS Horcado Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 47 minutes 23.5 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 3 minutes 46 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 50 to 52 degrees F.
Thickness of surface mantle - 6 to 12 inches
Depth to base of mollic epipedon - 25 to 34 inches
Depth to cambic horizon - 28 to 34 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonates) - 35 to 56 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: granite, gneiss, and schist
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: 15 to 35 percent
Organic matter content - 2 to 4 percent in the mollic epipedon
Reaction - neutral in the surface and subsoil; slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the substratum
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 2 in the surface mantle; 0 to 1 in the subsoil and substratum
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1
AC1 horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 35 to 50 percent gravel
AC2 horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: stratified gravelly coarse sandy loam to very gravelly loamy coarse sand; some pedons have thin strata and lenses of sandy loam and loamy sand
Rock fragments: 20 to 40 percent gravel
upper Bw horizons
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam
Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel
lower Bw horizon
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: 20 to 40 percent gravel
Bk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy clay loam or gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent
C horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: stratified very gravelly coarse sand to loam
Rock fragments: total range is 10 to 55 percent, averaging 25 to 45 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 4 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Crucitas,
Haozous,
Janude,
Kaskan,
Paymaster, and
Payter series.
Crucitas soils do not have AC horizons indicative of recent depositional events.
Haozous soils do not have cambic horizons and have an aridic moisture regime.
Janude and Kaskan soils have hues of 10YR or yellower and an ustic moisture regime bordering on udic.
Paymaster soils have less than 15 percent gravel in the particle-size control section.
Payter soils have developed in sandstone parent materials, have fewer than 10 percent gravels, and have carbonates to the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lamesilla soils are on inset fans of eroded fan remnants. They formed in slope alluvium derived from Precambrian granite, gneiss, and schist. Slopes are 5 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,500 to 7,300 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. The mean annual air temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Horcado, Latierra, Levante, and Nazario soils. Horcado soils are sandy-skeletal, have thin mollic epipedons and calcic horizons, and occur on backslopes of erosional fan remnants. Latierra soils are coarse-loamy, have thin mollic epipedons and argillic horizons, and occur on toeslopes of erosional fan remnants. Levante soils are sandy, do not have diagnostic horizons, and occur on narrow flood plains of valley floors. Nazario soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, have ochric epipedons and calcic horizons, and occur on narrow beveled summits and shoulders of erosional fan remnants.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low surface runoff; permeability is moderately rapid. Lamesilla soils are subject to frequent, extremely brief periods of flooding between July and September. Floodwaters have low velocity and are generally less than 1 foot deep.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lamesilla soils are used for urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, black grama, oak, galleta, oneseed juniper. The ecological site is Hills(R036XB124NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lamesilla soils are of small extent on the southeastern Espanola Basin part of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2008. The name "Lamesilla" is taken from the place name "La Mesilla", a small town near Santa Fe.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Surface mantle feature - The new alluvial material from the soil surface to a depth of 6 inches. (AC1 and AC2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 6 to 34 inches. (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons; the Bw2 has color moist color value of 3 when mixed)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 34 to 52 inches. (Bw3 horizon)
Cumulic feature - The mollic epipedon is accompanied by an irregular organic matter distribution between 10 and 50 inches.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 16 to 46 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and part of the Bw3 horizon)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
This soil was named Meseeya when originally proposed.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.