LOCATION MALSTROM NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Malstrom loamy fine sand, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grained; loose; many fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 19 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; many very fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 15 inches thick)
Bk1--19 to 25 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; few lime filaments and few masses of calcium carbonate; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--25 to53 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine tubular pores; disseminated calcium carbonate and few filaments of calcium carbonate; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
BCk--53 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) fine sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few caliche pebbles; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Chaves County, New Mexico; about 48 miles southeast of Roswell; 51 feet north of old road and 0.9 mile west of windmill in the NW1/4 section 2, T.13S., R.30E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the Bk2 horizon is 20 to 30 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam. This horizon has weak fine subangular blocky structure or is massive.
The Bk1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR dry and moist, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam. This horizon has 5 to 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
The Bk2 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR dry and moist, value of 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4 dry and moist. Texture is loam or fine sandy loam. This horizon has 25 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. In some pedons it is weakly cemented.
The BCk horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, dry and moist, value of 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry and moist. Texture is fine sandy loam or loam. This horizon has 15 to 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. Some pedons contain a few caliche pebbles and strata of loamy fine sand and fine sand below the Bk2 horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the Geta, Kinco, Lucyhills, Potrillo, stronghold, and bilgray series. All of these soils, except Bilgray soils in which activity class has not been assigned, are in the superactive family. In addition, Geta, Luckyhills, stonghold, and Bilray soils receive winter precipitation. Kinco soils are calcareous to the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on level to nearly level uplands. The soils formed in coarse and medium textured eolian and alluvial sediments. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 13 inches. The driest period occurs between late September and May. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 59 to 62 degrees F. Elevations of 3,500 to 4,200 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Faskin, Jalmar and Roswell soils. Faskin soils have an argillic horizon. Jalmar soils have a loamy fine sand A horizon thicker than 20 inches and have an argillic horizon. Roswell soils have a fine sand pedon to depth of 40 inches or more.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent and very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grazing and wildlife. Vegetation is mainly threeawn, sand dropseed, black and blue grama, little bluestem, spike dropseed, sandbur, yucca, shinnery oak, sand sagebrush and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern New Mexico. The series inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chaves County, Southern Part, New Mexico, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 3 to 15 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon: 15 to 60 inches. (Bk and BCk horizons)