LOCATION MCKITTRICK TX

Established Series
ALS
04/2011

MCKITTRICK SERIES

The McKittrick series consists of very deep well drained soils that formed in gravelly alluvium. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 584 mm (23 in) and the mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C (54 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Fluventic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: McKittrick gravelly sandy loam, on a 1 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 1,560 m (5,118 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 12 cm, (0 to 5 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1), moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; 10 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 76 to 250 mm limestone fragments and 15 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 2 to 75 mm limestone fragments; strongly effervescent; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 34 cm [3 to 13 in])

Bw--12 to 41 cm, (5 to 16 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; finely disseminated carbonates; 15 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 76 to 250 mm limestone fragments and 30 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 2 to 75 mm limestone fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Bk horizon is 13 to 35 cm [5 to 14 in])

BC--41 to 157 cm, (16 to 62 in); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely cobbly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4), moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; finely disseminated carbonates; 35 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 2 to 75 mm limestone fragments and 45 percent subrounded very strongly cemented 76 to 250 mm limestone fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Culberson County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 62/180 and the park entrance to McKittrick Canyon; 4 miles north west on park road to McKittrick Canyon trail head; 1.6 miles on McKittrick Canyon trail; site is 150 feet north of trail. (Guadalupe Peak TX USGS topographic quadrangle: Latitude: 31 degrees, 59 minutes, 10 seconds N; Longitude: 104 degrees, 46 minutes, 10 seconds W; UTM Easting 521785 m, UTM Northing 3538931 m, UTM Zone 13, NAD83.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 21 to 45 cm (8 to 18 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay Content: 14 to 29 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 80 percent total; 25 to 55 percent gravel; 10 to 50 percent cobbles

A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 1 to 3 moist
Texture of the fine-earth fraction: fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Coarse fragments: 10 to 45 percent total; 10 to 45 percent gravel; 5 to 30 percent cobbles
Effervescence: none to strong
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 5 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture of the fine-earth fraction: fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam
Clay content: 10 to 24 percent
Coarse fragments: 35 to 50 percent total; 20 to 50 percent gravel; 10 to 50 percent cobbles
Effervescence: slight or strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

BC horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 5 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture of the fine-earth fraction: coarse sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent
Coarse fragments: 35 to 80 percent total; 35 to 55 percent gravel; 25 to 50 percent cobbles
Effervescence: strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils are Dev (TX) Jacaguas (PR) and Rockhouse (TX).
Dev soils: have a mollic epipedon 50 cm (20 in) thick or greater.
Jacaguas soils: have a mean annual soil temperature of 22 C (72 F) or higher.
Rockhouse soils: have in the fine earth fraction a texture of sand or loamy sand.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: alluvium from limestone sources
Landscape: Mountains
Landform: Canyons, drainageways
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Soil moisture: Typic Ustic soil moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 9.0 to 15.0 degrees C (48 to 59 degrees F)
Mean annual air temperature: 8.0 to 14.0 degrees C (46 to 57 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 508 to 660 mm (20 to 26 inches)
Precipitation pattern: Most precipitation occurs as high intensity rain during afternoon convective thunderstorms from June to September.
Frost-free period: 135 to 250 days
Elevation: 1,511 to 1,960 m (4,957 to 6,430 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Desario (NM) soils and the tentative Lozen (TX), Victorio (TX) and Biduya (TX) series.
Biduya soils: have a lithic contact and occur on hills and ridges
Desario soils: have a lithic contact and occur on hills and ridges
Lozen soils: do not have a calcic and occur on mountainsides and ridges
Victorio soils: have more than 35 percent clay in the control section and occur on mountainsides and ridges

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; Runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes and low on slopes over 1 percent; moderately rapid permeability; occasionally to frequently flooded.

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation is little bluestem, yellow indiangrass, bull muhly, pinyon ricegrass, pine muhly, sedges, sotol, apache plume, bigtooth maple, chinkapin oak, velvet ash, madrone, hoptree, alligator juniper, ponderosa pine, and pinyon pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: LRR G; Western Great Plains Range and Irrigated Region; MLRA 70C-Central New Mexico Highlands. The soil is not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Culberson County, Texas; 2010. The name is taken from McKittrick Canyon located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

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

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 41 cm (0 to 16) (A and Bk horizons)
Calcic horizon: 12 to 152 cm (5 to 60) (Bk and BCk horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: None

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.