LOCATION MASCARENAS              NM

Established Series
Rev. JOC/JAW/KLS
11/2022

MASCARENAS SERIES

The Mascarenas series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone and shale. Mascarenas soils are on sides of mountains and have slopes of 15 to 80 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 810 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive Ustic Palecryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Mascarenas cobbly sandy loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 8 cm; forest litter in various stages of decomposition.

A--8 to 18 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, friable; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; 15 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

E--18 to 84 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; very weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granules; soft, friable, slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear irregular boundary. (65 to 90 cm thick)

Bt1--84 to 155 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sandy clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; tongues of very pale brown E material in the upper part; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; few very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine pores; 50 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (65 to 90 cm thick)

Bt2--155 to 185 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely stony heavy sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many moderately thick clay films on rock fragments; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine pores; 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 30 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Taos County, New Mexico; SE1/4 SE1/4 section 12, T.23N., R.13E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--minus 1 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--8 degrees C
Solum thickness--150 cm or greater
Rock fragments--angular pebbles, cobbles, or stones of sandstone
Reaction--pH 6.6 to 7.8

A horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--sandy loam or loam
Rock fragment--20 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles

E horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--7 or 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma--3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture--sandy loam or loam
Rock fragment content--25 to 65 percent total; 0 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles

Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture--sandy clay, sandy clay loam, or clay
Rock fragment content--35 to 90 percent total; 30 to 80 percent gravel, 10 to 15 percent cobbles, 5 to 30 percent stones

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Diamante series. Diamante soils have a frigid temperature regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--strongly sloping to steep, smooth mountain slopes
Elevation--2750 to 3350 meters
Slope--15 to 80 percent
Parent material--weathered from sandstone and shales of the Pennsylvania Formation
Mean annual precipitation--635 to 1000 mm per year and comes as winter snow and rain and late summer rain
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--7 degrees C
Frost-free period--50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: The Mascarenas soils are used for timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation and watershed. Vegetation is Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, white fir, aspen, some kinnickkinnick, whortleberry, and a few grasses and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mascarenas soils are moderately extensive in northern New Mexico. MLRAs 48A and 48B

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taos Area, New Mexico, 1976

REMARKS:
The tonguing of the E horizon into the Bt1 horizon should be investigated more thoroughly. 3/1999

Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 11/2022

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.