LOCATION MILSAND                 NM+TX

Established Series
RAH-ACT-RM
09/2014

MILSAND SERIES

The Milsand series consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils that formed in sandy aluvial and eolian sediments. These soils are on gently sloping to rolling plains. Slope ranges from 1 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 432 mm (17 in), and mean annual air temperature is about 16 degrees C (61 degrees F)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, thermic Aridic Ustipsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Milsand fine sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, non-sticky and non-plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Thickness is 15 to 38 cm [6 to 15 in].)

C--20 to 76 cm (8 to 30 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; soft, loose, non-sticky and non-plastic; common fine and medium and few large roots; few very fine and medium pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Thickness is 25 to 102 cm [10 to 40 in].)

Ab--76 to 94 cm (30 to 37 in); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; soft, loose, non-sticky and non-plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and medium pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Thickness is 0 to 30 cm [0 to 12 in].)

Cb--94 to 203 cm (37 to 80 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; single grain; soft, loose, non-sticky and non-plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and medium pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Curry County, New Mexico; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 60 and 84 and New Mexico State Highway 267 in Melrose, travel south 6.3 miles south on state highway 267. Turn west onto Curry County Road 5 and travel 3.5 miles. Travel northwest 0.9 miles on ranch road. Site is approximately 120 ft east of road in rangeland; NW of the NW of section 3, T. 1 N., R. 31 E.; Latitude: 34 degrees, 20 minutes, 37 seconds North; Longitude: 103 degrees, 41 minutes, 8 seconds West; Tule Lake, New Mexico USGS quad; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Ustic moisture regime bordering on
aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for more than 180 days but less than 225 days, cumulative, in normal years. The soil is intermittently dry May through October. The period of maximum precipitation is May through October during which 2/3 of the precipitation falls.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F)
Particle-size control section: less than 18 percent silicate clay.
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm (80 in).

A or Ab horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand
Base saturation: 100 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

C or Cb horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sand, fine sand
Base saturation: 100 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Note: Weak Bk horizons with a few masses of calcium carbonate are in some
pedons. Also buried horizons are common and may have textures of fine sandy loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Likes, Mocane (T-OK), and Nutivoli series. Similar soils are the Goodnight, Jester, and Tivoli series.
Likes and Mocane soils: are moist in the soil moisture control section for longer perods
Nutivoli series: are non-calcareous throughout the soil profile.
Goodnight, Jester, and Tivoli soils: are moist in the soil moisture control section for longer periods. In addition, Tivoli soils are non-calcareous throughout the soil profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvial and eolian sands.
Landform: on dunes, convex uplands and sideslopes. Land surfaces are generally undulating.
Slope: dominantly less than 10 percent, but range from 1 to 30 percent.
Mean annual temperature: 14 to 17 degrees C (57 to 63 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 406 to 483 mm (16 to 19 in)
Frost-free period: 180 to 205 days.
Elevation: 1,036 to 1,433 m (3,400 to 4,700 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Nutivoli series and the Arch, Drake, Gomez and Spantara series.Arch and Gomez soils: occur on lower landscape positions and have calcic horizons.
Drake soils: occur on higher landscape positions.
Nutivoli soils: occur on similar or slightly higher landscape positions.
Spantara soils: occur on similar landscape positions have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Permeability is rapid. Runoff is negligible on 1 to 3 percent slopes, very low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, low on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and medium on slopes of more than 20 percent.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly tall and mid grasses, with little bluestem, sand bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass, sideoats grama, sand dropseed dominating with areas of sand lovegrass, and a few yucca and skunkbush sumac. This soil is correlated to the Sand Hills (R077CY034TX) ecological site in MLRA 77C.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Southern Part (MLRA 77C in LRR H) in eastern New Mexico and west Texas. These soils are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Curry County, New Mexico, 2007.

REMARKS: The name is coined from a small town in eastern New Mexico (Milnesand).

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in) (A horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data on pedon (S90NM-009-011) from Curry County, NM.

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition 2010.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.