LOCATION MARIOLA                 NM+TX

Established Series
Rev. DGS/RLB
07/2012

MARIOLA SERIES

The Mariola series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium influenced by eolian sand. Permeability is moderately slow above the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon and moderate below the petrocalcic. These nearly level soils are on erosional fan remnants of the fan piedmont. Slopes range from 1 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 62 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Ustalfic Petrocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mariola fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4), crushed, fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine granular structure; common very fine roots throughout; 15 percent clay; 5 percent subrounded limestone gravel; violently effervescent throughout; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

Bt--4 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4), crushed, sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), crushed, moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; common very fine roots throughout; common very fine low continuity tubular pores; 23 percent clay; few distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent subrounded limestone gravel; violently effervescent throughout; by HCL, 1 normal; pH?; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

Btk--12 to 20 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4), crushed, sandy clay loam; brown (7.5YR 4/4), crushed, moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; few very fine roots throughout; few very fine low continuity tubular pores; 25 percent clay; few distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common fine rounded carbonate concretions throughout and common fine rounded carbonate nodules throughout; 10 percent subrounded limestone gravel; violently effervescent throughout; pH?; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

Bk--20 to 28 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4), crushed, gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4), crushed, moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; few very fine roots throughout; 22 percent clay; common medium rounded carbonate nodules throughout; 15 percent subrounded limestone gravel and 1 percent subrounded limestone cobbles; violently effervescent throughout; pH?; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

Bkkm1--28 to 35 inches; white (10YR 8/1), very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; indurated caliche, many white (10YR 8/1) carbonate concretions; 60 percent subrounded limestone cobbles; violently effervescent throughout; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

Bkkm2--35 to 56 inches; white (10YR 8/1), very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; many white (10YR 8/1) carbonate concretions; 80 percent subrounded limestone cobbles; violently effervescent throughout; abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)

2Bk--56 to 80 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; common very fine vesicular pores; 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; few distinct patchy carbonate coats on faces of peds; common fine irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate concretions between peds; violently effervescent throughout; pH?.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; approximately 7.1 miles east and 1.9 miles south of Oro Grande; NE 1/4, NE 1/4 section 36, T. 22 S., R. 9 E; UTM zone 13, 0408722E, 3579881 N; NAD 27; USGS Mack Tanks topographic quadrangle; lat. 32 degrees 21 minutes 13 seconds N. and long. 105 degrees 58 minutes 13 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

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

Soil temperature: 61 to 65 degrees F.

Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, sandy clay loam (18 to 35 percent clay)
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent

Bk and Btk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam (18 to 35 percent clay)
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent

Bkkm horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 50 to 80 percent

2Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are Aymate (NV) and Hilken (NM) series. Aymate soils have silica cementation in the petrocalcic horizon and in addition they receive 5 to 8 inches precipitation. Hilken soils mean annual temperature range from 58 to 60 degrees and the Bk horizon contains 15 to 60 percent rock fragment by volume, 15 to 55 percent pebbles, 0 to 5 percent cobbles.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mariola soils formed in alluvium influenced by eolian sand on nearly level erosional fan remnants of the fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 1 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 12 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 60 to 64 degrees F. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April. Precipitation during the months of January, February, and March is less than 13 percent of the total. Frost-free days range from 170 to 210 and elevation ranges from 4,200 to 5,300 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Copia, Crossen, and Reyab soils. Copia, and Reyab soils do not have petrocalcic horizons. Crossen soils have petrocalcic horizons at depths of less than 20 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Permeability is moderately slow above the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon and moderate below the petrocalcic. Runoff is high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is desert grassland consisting of bush muhly, sand dropseed, black grama, plains bristlegrass, mesquite, mariola, and creosotebush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico and West Texas in MLRA 42. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico; 2001.

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

Particle size control section: The zone from 4 to 20 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - 4 to 20 inches (Bt, Btk horizons)

Petrocalcic horizon - 28 to 56 inches (Bkm1, Bkm2 horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

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

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.