LOCATION LAZARUS NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lazarus silt loam--on a flood plain of a valley floor sloping less than 1 percent at 6,462 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 24, 2001, the soil was dry throughout.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, common fine, and common very fine roots; slightly effervescent (2 percent CaCO3 equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 14 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; common medium and common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent (1 percent CaCO3); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 5 to 15 inches)
Bt1--14 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few medium, few fine, and common very fine tubular pores; few distinct and common faint clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--30 to 53 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few medium, few fine, and few very fine tubular pores; few distinct and common faint clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); diffuse wavy boundary.
Bt3--53 to 102 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few medium, few fine, and few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to greater than 70 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, County Road 21, about 7 miles east of Cedar Grove; USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 11 minutes 08.8 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 04 minutes 09.0 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. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic aridic.
Soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to base of mollic epipedon - greater than 20 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - greater than 40 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages:
Silicate clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Sand content: 7 to 24 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 3 to 5 percent
Rock fragment content: less than 1 percent
Salinity: dS/m - 0 to 1
Sodicity: SAR - 0 to 1
A horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Bt horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Goshen, Hall, Johnstown, Kinsell, Kuma, Mobridge, Simpatico, and Zepol series.
Goshen, Hall, Johnstown, and Mobridge soils are in the ustic moisture regime and are more moist in the soil moisture control section in spring and early summer. (The Lazarus series is in the ustic aridic moisture regime.) Kinsell soils have secondary carbonates within the control section. Simatico soils have an ustic moisture regime and are colder. Kuma soils are more moist in the soil moisture control section in the spring and early summer months and have buried paleosols within 20 inches. Mobridge soils contain visible secondary calcium carbonate in the substratum, occur in the ustic moisture regime, and are more moist in the soil moisture control section in spring and early summer. Zepol soils contain visible secondary calcium carbonates in the substratum and have small amounts of volcanic ash in the coarse silt and fine sand fraction.
Potential competitors if a superactive CEA class were assigned are the Hall and Simpatico series. Both Hall and Simpatico soils have a mean annual precipitation of over 16 inches and are in the ustic moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lazarus soils are on drainageways of hillslopes and fan piedmonts. They formed in alluvium derived from sandstone, limestone, and shale. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 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 49 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Harvey, Hyer, Palma, and Witt soils. Harvey soils are coarse-loamy and are on south-facing backslopes of fan piedmonts. Hyer soils do not have a mollic epipedon and are on summits of fan piedmonts. Palma soils are coarse-loamy and are on north-facing backslopes of fan piedmonts. Witt soils have a calcic horizon and are on beveled summits of fan piedmonts.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent and medium on 1 to 2 percent slopes; permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lazarus soils are used for livestock grazing and farming. Present vegetation is blue grama, galleta, and alkali sacaton.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lazarus soils are of small extent in the north-western 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. Lazarus is a place name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 inches to a depth of about 102 inches. (A1, A2, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons) This soil occurs in association with soils that have an ustic/aridic soil moisture regime; however this soil receives additional moisture from surrounding areas due to landscape position.
Argillic horizon - 14 to about 102 inches. (Bt horizons)
Pachic features - Surface to 102 inches(A and Bt horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.