LOCATION LA FONDA NM+MT WY

Established Series
RD: VGL-BDS-RJA-ACT
11/2014

LA FONDA SERIES

The La Fonda series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in medium and moderately fine textured calcareous sediments derived from sandstone and shale. La Fonda soils are on fan remnants and piedmont slopes. Slope ranges from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 12 inches and mean annual air temperature is about 55 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: La Fonda loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure in upper 0.5 to 1 inch grading to moderate very fine granular in lower part; soft, very friable; nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)

Bw1--3 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--8 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak and moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; few clusters of fine rounded insect casts; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bw3--12 to 19 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; few clusters of fine rounded insect casts; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizon is 10 to 35 inches)

Bk1--19 to 23 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine pores; few clusters of fine rounded insect casts; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate segregated in thin seams and streaks; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)

Bk2--23 to 35 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate segregated in few fine concretions and thin seams and streaks; moderately alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)

C--35 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots in upper part; few pores throughout; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Torrance County, New Mexico; center of NE 1/4 sec. 11, T. 3 N., R. 6 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 50 to 59 degrees F.

Soil Moisture: Usually dry in the moisture control section more than one-half of the time but less than three-fourths the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. The soil moisture control section is moist intermittently in some part during the 120 days following the summer solstice.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)

Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR , 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
In some pedons the A horizon is noncalcareous.

Bw horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Bk and C horizons: Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent with calcium carbonate ranging from disseminated to common fine and medium masses.

Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amodac (WY), Aquima (T WY), Atrac (NM), Edgar (MT), McRae (MT), Querencia (NM) and Zigweid (WY) series. A similar soil is the La Lande series. Amodac soils have hue yellower than 7.5YR and, in addition, have SAR's greater than 13. Aquima soils receive winter precipitation and support a distinctively different vegetative community. Atrac soils do not have visible forms of secondary carbonates in the control section. Edgar soils have a calcic horizon. McRae, Querencia, and Zigweid soils have hue yellower than 7.5YR. La Lande soils have mean annual soil temperature greater than 59 degrees F. (thermic).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The La Fonda soils are on fan remnants and piedmont slopes. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. They formed in medium and moderately fine textured calcareous sediments derived principally from "redbed" formations of Jurassic, Triassic, Permian and Pennsylvanian age. These formation are mostly shales and fine grained sandstones. The sediments are readily susceptible to water erosion and areas of La Fonda soils are often cut by arroyos. The climate is semiarid and continental. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 13 inches, but does range to 16 inches in some areas with a pronounced summer maximum characterized by frequent heavy thunderstorms of short duration. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 50 to 58 degrees F. The frost-free period ranges from 120 to 180 days and elevation ranges from 4,200 to 7,000 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alicia, Clovis, Harvey, and Witt soils. Alicia soils are fine-silty. Clovis and Witt soils have argillic horizons. Harvey soils have calcic horizons within a depth of 40 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 5 to 15 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is for livestock grazing but where irrigation water is available these soils are used for irrigated cropland. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama and sand dropseed with some yucca, cacti, scrub pinyon and juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 42

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 1970.

REMARKS: The La Fonda soils were formerly included with La Lande soils which has soil temperatures ranging from 59 to 63 degrees F.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)

Cambic horizon: 3 to 19 inches. (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 horizons)

Secondary carbonate feature: The zone from about 18 inches to a depth of about 35 inches. (Bk1, Bk2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.