LOCATION MALPAISPRING            NM

Established Series
GWC
12/2014

MALPAISPRING SERIES

The Malpaispring series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in gypsiferous eolian deposits. These nearly level soils are on salt marshes. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Gypsic Aquisalids

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

Anyyz--0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm); white (10YR 8/1) gypsiferous loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/4), moist; 15 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; salt, finely disseminated and carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 98 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 44.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; clear wavy boundary.

Bnyyz1--3 to 9 inches (8 to 22 cm); white (7.5YR 8/1) gypsiferous loam, pink (7.5YR 7/3), moist; 13 percent clay; 5 percent fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium and many coarse roots throughout; common coarse dendritic tubular pores; few distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2), moist, organic stains on surfaces along root channels; salt, finely disseminated and carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 97 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 70.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bnyyz2--9 to 19 inches (22 to 47 cm); white (7.5YR 8/1) gypsiferous loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3), moist; 10 percent clay; 5 percent fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium and common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; few distinct very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1), moist, organic stains on surfaces along root channels; salt, finely disseminated and carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 83 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 30.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Byy--19 to 60 inches (47 to 152 cm); white (7.5YR 8/1) gypsiferous very fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3), moist; 12 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 84 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 7.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 4.5 miles east and 10 miles north of the junction of Range Roads 7 and 10; USGS Quad, Capitol Peak Se; 33 degrees 17 minutes 17.70 seconds north Longitude: 106 degrees 19 minutes 17.70 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 376941 meters UTM Northing: 3684022 meters. UTM zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture -Is not dry in any part of the control section for as long as 90 cumulative days. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime, based on precipitation. This soil has persistent internal free water and a fluctuating water table, but is not reduced.
Depth to water table: 1 to 5 feet, fluctuates seasonally
Type of water saturation: endosaturation for 90 consecutive days or 274 cumulative days
Aquic Conditions: Water table ranged from 9 to 40 inches in most years.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F (17.8 to 20 degrees C).

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 10 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Electrical conductivity: 5 to 70 mmhos/cm
Gypsum content: 80 to 100 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Redoximorphic features or Mottles: 0 to 5 percent pale brown mottles

Anyyz horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 9 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous loam
Clay: 5 to 20 percent
Gypsum: 70 to 100 percent

Bnyyz horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 9.5 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous very fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loam
Clay: 5 to 20 percent
Gypsum: 70 to 100 percent

Byy horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 9.5 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous very fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam
Clay: 5 to 20 percent
Gypsum: 70 to 100 percent
Salinity: slightly saline to moderately saline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Malpaispring soils are on salt marshes. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed from gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 4,150 to 4,170 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Terrier, Pup, and Gyplaya series. Terrier soils have gypsic mineralogy, Pup soils are on broad drainageways and have vertic properties. Gyplaya soils are on playas and are coarse-gypseous.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; negligible runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton and inland salt grass

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the Malpais Spring area of the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Malpaispring is of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Malpaispring is derived from Malpais Spring, a spring emitting from southwestern terminus of the Carrizozo Lava Flow.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bnyyz2 and Byy) horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (Anyyz horizon)

Gypsic horizon - the zone from 3 to 60 inches (Bnyyz1, Bnyyz2 and Byy horizons)

Salic horizon - the zone from 0 to 18.5 inches (Anyyz, Bnyyz1 and Bnyyz2 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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.