LOCATION LOKI                    NM+TX

Established Series
Rev. GC/WWJ
12/2014

LOKI SERIES

The Loki series consists of very deep, well drained, moderate permeable soils formed in gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on relict lakebeds and alluvial flats on basin floors. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy over coarse-gypseous, mixed over hypergypsic, superactive, thermic Typic Calcigypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Loki silt loam -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3), moist; 22 percent clay; moderate thick platy over moderate medium and weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; few medium and many fine roots between peds; few medium and common fine vesicular pores; 3 percent medium iron-manganese masses throughout; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; strongly effervescent, 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 1.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; clear wavy boundary.

Bw--3 to 9 inches (8 to 23 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 24 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium and common fine roots between peds; few medium and common fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; violently effervescent, 24 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 3.6 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; gradual wavy boundary.

Bk--9 to 18 inches (23 to 46 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 24 percent clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky, very plastic; few very fine and common fine roots between peds; few fine tubular pores; gypsum, finely disseminated throughout and common fine threadlike carbonate masses lining pores and common fine spherical carbonate masses on faces of peds; violently effervescent, 37 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 3 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6; electrical conductivity 3.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 2.0; abrupt wavy boundary.

2Byy--18 to 26 inches (46 to 66 cm); 10 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) and 90 percent white (7.5YR 8/1) gypsiferous loam, 10 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and 90 percent pink (7.5YR 7/3), moist; 12 percent clay; weak extremely coarse prismatic structure; moderately hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots between peds; few very fine tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 62 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.6; electrical conductivity 2.6 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; gradual irregular boundary.

2Cyy1--26 to 36 inches (66 to 91 cm); 30 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/3) and 70 percent white (10YR 8/1) gypsiferous sand, 30 percent brown (7.5YR 5/4) and 70 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3), moist; 3 percent clay; weak extremely coarse prismatic structure; moderately hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; few coarse roots between peds; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 90 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 3.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 1.0; gradual wavy boundary.

2Cyy2--36 to 46 inches (91 to 117 cm); 30 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/3) and 70 percent white (10YR 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, 30 percent brown (7.5YR 5/4) and 70 percent white (10YR 9/1), moist; 3 percent clay; weak extremely coarse prismatic structure; moderately hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 81 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 4.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 4.0; abrupt wavy boundary.

2Cyy3--46 to 58 inches (117 to 147 cm); white (10YR 8.5/1) gypsiferous coarse sand, white (10YR 8/1), moist; 3 percent clay; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many fine platy gypsum crystals and many medium platy gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 79 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.4; electrical conductivity 7.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 5.0; abrupt wavy boundary.

2Cyyz--58 to 60 inches (147 to 152 cm); white (10YR 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, white (10YR 9/1), moist; 3 percent clay; massive; hard, very firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; 10 percent fine masses of oxidized iron in matrix; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 74 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.4; electrical conductivity 10.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline; sodium adsorption ratio 7.0.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 5.3 miles East and 6.17 miles North of White Sands Missile Range Headquarters; 1,800 feet East and 1,230 feet South of the Northwest corner of Section 24, Township 21 South, Range 5 East; USGS topographic quadrangle White Sands NE, NAD83; 32 degrees 28 minutes 15.86 seconds North latitude and 106 degrees 23 minutes 17.34 seconds West longitude; UTM 369,551 meters East, 3,593,501 meters North, zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F.

Mean annual soil temperature: 63 to 72 degrees F.

Depth to calcic horizon: 0 to 15 inches

Depth to gypsic horizon: 10 to 20 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 0 to 26 percent
Coarse fragment content: none

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none

2Byy or 2Cyy horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 9.5 dry, 4 or 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none
Gypsum content: 40 to 90 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jato series. The Jato soils have a depth to gypsic horizon of greater than 20 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Loki soils are on relict lakebeds and alluvial flats on basin floors. They formed in gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Elevation ranges from 3,000 to 4,100 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 250 days. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Basso, Copia, Elizario, Hermes, Jato, Mcnew, Peligro and Talos soils. Basso soils have argillic horizons. Copia soils are sandy on coppice dunes. Elizario and Mcnew soils are on slightly depressed and slightly higher positions respectively of the alluvial flat of the basin floor. Hermes soils have gypsic horizons near the surface. Jato soils have mixed mineralogy. Peligro soils have gypsic horizons near the surface and formed in eolian gypsiferous sediments on lunettes or parna dunes. Talos soils are fine textured.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for military exercises and weapons testing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type and consists of burrograss, alkali sacaton, tobosa, 4 wing saltbush, Berlandiers wolfberry, crucifixion thorn, dwarf desert holly, and scorpion weed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudspeth County, Texas; Soil Survey of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part), 2012.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk, By, Cy1, and Cy2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A and Bw horizons)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 9 to 18 inches (Bk horizon)

Gypsic horizon - the zone from 18 to 26 inches (2Byy horizons)

Strongly contrasting particle size classes - 18 inches (Loamy over coarse-gypseous)

Loki: Loki was a major Nordic deity. The US Army tested this Surface to Air Missile in the 1950s and was a much used research vehicle at White Sands Missile Range.

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

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.