LOCATION LEGATE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Lithic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Legate extremely gravelly sandy loam--on a backslope of a hill sloping 32 percent to the south-southeast (165 degrees) at 7,510 feet elevation-pinyon-juniper forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry throughout.)
Ak--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 50 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 1 percent stones, and 2 percent boulders; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and as common fine concretions (27 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bk1--2 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few coarse, common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and as common fine concretions (29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Bk2--9 to 14 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few coarse, common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; many (40 percent) coarse and very coarse and common (10 percent) extremely coarse irregular carbonate nodules, indurated; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many large rounded white (10YR 8/1) concretions (72 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Bk3--14 to 18 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; many (30 percent) coarse and very coarse and common (5 percent) extremely coarse irregular carbonate nodules, indurated; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common large rounded white (10YR 8/1) concretions (64 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
2R--18 inches; indurated limestone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 2.5 miles east-northeast of Santa Fe; 1,675 feet south and 825 feet west of the northeast corner of section 20, T.17N., R.10E.; USGS Santa Fe 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 41 minutes 31 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 53 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: 48 to 50 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 12 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 8 to 12 inches
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
Lithology of rock fragments: limestone
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 60 to 75 percent
50 to 60 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
1 to 2 percent stones
2 to 3 percent boulders
Bk1 horizon
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly fine sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 50 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 35 to 55 percent
30 to 45 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
Bk2 and Bk3 horizons
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly fine sandy loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 50 to 80 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 35 to 60 percent
30 to 50 percent gravel, mostly coarse and very coarse indurated nodules
5 to 10 percent cobbles, mostly extremely coarse indurated nodules
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Deama series. Deama soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Legate soils are on backslopes of hills. They formed in colluvium derived from limestone. Slopes are 15 to 45 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 to 8,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 46 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Yohalem and Zarmand soils. Yohalem soils are clayey, have a paralithic contact within 20 inches, and occur on backslopes of shale hills. Zarmand soils are coarse-loamy, have a lithic contact between 20 and 40 inches, and occur on beveled summits of hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very high surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Legate soils are used for urban development, cord wood products, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, eriogonum, Bigelow's rubber rabbitbrush, oneseed juniper, twoneedle pinyon. The ecological site is Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma/Cercocarpus montanus-Chrysothamnus nauseosus/Bouteloua gracilis (F036XB135NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Legate soils are of small extent on the southwestern Sangre de Cristo part of the Southern Rocky Mountains province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 49.
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 is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 9 inches. (Ak and Bk1 horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 9 to 18 inches. The calcic was judged to begin at 9 inches because of the very large increase in carbonate content at that depth. (Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)
Lithic contact - indurated limestone bedrock at 18 inches. (2R layer)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 18 inches (Bk2and Bk3 horizons)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 18 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a calcimeter.