LOCATION MARGOSA NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Lithic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Margosa cobbly loam--on planar to slightly convex higher area of a summit sloping 2 percent to the west-southwest at 7,505 feet elevation-pinyon-juniper forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, cones, and leaves. (0 to 3 inches)
A--1 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few coarse, few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine interstitual pores; 10 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 8 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) cobbly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic, few coarse, few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; common distinct and few faint clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Btk--8 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) with pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gravelly clay loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) with pink (7.5YR 8/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many (15 percent) coarse and very coarse irregular carbonate nodules, indurated; 10 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bk--12 to 17 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loam, pink (7.5YR 8/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; moderate medium and few fine roots; 50 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
2R--17 inches; hard sandstone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 4.5 miles south southwest of Glorieta on Fangio Mesa; 2300 feet east and 2300 feet north of the southwest corner of section 20, T.15N., R.11E.; USGS Glorieta 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 31 minutes 18 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 47 minutes 51 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Depths given are measured from the mineral soil surface)
Soil moisture - Typically, 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.
Soil temperature - 48 to 50 degrees F.
Depth to calcareous material - 4 to 8 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 18 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 6 to 12 inches
Organic matter content - 1 to 3 percent in the mollic epipedon
Salinity, dS/m - 0 to 1
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 2
Particle-size control section weighted averages: -
Silicate clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 35 to 65 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: more than 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent pebbles, lithology of fragments is sandstone
A horizon
Value - 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 8 dry, 2 to 6 moist
Rock fragments - total range is 15 to 35 percent with 5 to 15 percent pebbles, 10 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones
Bt horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 to 8 dry, 2 to 6 moist
Texture - cobbly clay loam, gravelly clay loam, or clay loam
Rock fragments - total range is 10 to 30 percent with 5 to 15 percent pebbles and 10 to 15 percent cobbles
Btk horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 3 to 6 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture - gravelly clay loam or clay loam
Rock fragments - total range is 10 to 30 percent with 10 to 25 percent pebbles and 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 35 to 45 percent
Bk horizon
Value - 3 to 8 dry, 2.5 to 8 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry, dry or moist
Texture - extremely gravelly loam or very gravelly loam
Rock fragments - total range is 50 to 70 percent with 45 to 60 percent pebbles and 5 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 70 to 80 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Bernal and Joachem series when classification is updated to include the Aridic subgroup. Bernal and Joachem do not have a calcic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Margosa soils are on summits of mesas and plateaus. They formed in Triassic and Permian age slope alluvium and residuum derived from sandstone. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevation ranges from 7,200 to 7,700 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 Condesa, Sabroso, and Verano soils. Condesa soils are fine-loamy, are moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon, and occur on adjacent lower areas on summits. Sabroso soils are loamy-skeletal, do not have a mollic epipedon, and occur on steep south-facing backslopes. Verano soils are loamy-skeletal, are very deep, and occur on steep north-facing backslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the surface, moderately slow in the subsoil, and moderately rapid permeability in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Margosa soils are used for cordwood products and livestock grazing. Present vegetation is twoneedle pinyon, Rocky Mountain juniper, Gambel oak, oneseed juniper, narrow leaf yucca, broom snakeweed, plains prickly pear, bottlebrush squirreltail, blue grama, and carex.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Margosa soils are of small extent on the northern Glorieta Slope part of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 70, subresource area C.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2000. Margosa is a place name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 1 to 12 inches. (A, Bt, and Btk horizons)
Argillic horizon - 5 to 12 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - 8 to 17 inches. (Btk and Bk horizons)
Lithic contact - The presence of hard sandstone bedrock at 17 inches. (2R layer)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.
ADDITIONAL DATA: