LOCATION MISSILE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Calcic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Missile very gravelly fine sandy loamrangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) crushed, very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) crushed, moist; 12 percent clay; weak medium platy over weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; 25 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch mixed igneous gravel, 15 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch mixed igneous cobbles; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1, pH meter 1:1 water; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual smooth boundary (1 to 4 inches thick).
Bk--2 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) crushed, extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR4/4) crushed, moist; 17 percent clay; weak fine subangular blocky and weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores, 5 percent fine thread carbonate masses on faces of peds; 60 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch mixed igneous gravel and 10 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch mixed igneous cobbles; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0, pH meter 1:1 water; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; abrupt smooth boundary (4 to 16 inches thick).
Bkm--8 to 12 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4), carbonate-cemented material, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard; carbonate laminar occur discontinuously in upper part; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary (3 to 8 inches thick).
2Bk1--12 to 20 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) crushed, gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) crushed, moist; 24 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots throughout; very few fine dendritic tubular pores; 90 percent coarse irregular carbonate masses in matrix; 15 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch mixed igneous gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch mixed igneous cobbles; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8, pH meter 1:1 water; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual wavy boundary (6 to 13 inches thick).
2Bk2--20 to 26 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) crushed, loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) crushed, moist; 24 percent clay; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots throughout; very few fine dendritic tubular pores; 75 percent coarse irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; 10 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3 inch mixed igneous gravel; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1, pH meter 1:1 water; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual wavy boundary (4 to 9 inches thick).
2Bk3--26 to 44 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) crushed, cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) crushed, moist; 24 percent clay; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, extremely firm; moderately sticky and moderately plastic; 40 percent medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; 10 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch mixed igneous gravel and 20 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch mixed igneous cobbles; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3, pH meter 1:1 water; 24 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual smooth boundary (13 to 23 inches thick).
2Bk4--44 to 80 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) crushed, gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) crushed, moist; 24 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, extremely firm; very sticky and very plastic; 20 percent medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds; 20 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3 inch mixed igneous gravel and 10 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch mixed igneous cobbles; violently effervescent by HCl, 1 normal; strongly alkaline, pH 8.8, pH meter 1:1 water; 24 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; approximately 3.3 miles W. and 14.7 miles S. of White Sands, 90 feet east and 1,240 feet north of the SW corner of S. 3, T. 25 south, R. 4 east. USGS Bishop Cap topographic quadrangle; lat. 32 degrees, 09 minutes, 49.9 seconds N. and long. 106 degrees 31 minutes, 80.9 seconds W. UTM zone 13S 355707E, 3558822N; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil 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 moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 61 to 65 degrees F.
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 8 to 20 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 8 to 17 percent
Coarse fragment content: greater than 60 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 30 to 40 total coarse fragments; 5 to 25 percent gravel, 15 to 20 percent cobbles.
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture modifier: very gravelly or extremely gravelly
Coarse fragments: 60 to 85 percent mixed igneous fragments; 45 to 70 percent gravel; 5 to 15 percent cobbles
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Calcium carbonates content: 5 to 15 percent
2Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture modifier: gravelly or cobbly
Coarse fragments: 10 to 35 percent mixed igneous fragments; 5 to 25 percent gravel; 0 to 20 percent cobbles
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kimrose (AZ), Pedregosa (AZ), Delnorte (TX), Winkle (UT), and Yurm (NV) series. Delnorte, Winkle, and Yurm soils are in a Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. In addition, Winkel and Yurm soils are in the Mohave Desert and are moist in the soil moisture control section less than 20 days cumulative between July and September. Kimrose soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the control section. Pedregosa soils have 35 to 60 percent rock fragments in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Alluvium from mixed igneous sources
Landform: Fan piedmont
Slope: 3 to 15 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 61 to 65 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 10 to 12 inches
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April.
Frost-free period: 170 to 210 days
Elevation: 4,000 to 5,300 feet
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bissett, Brewster, Crotalus, Reduff, and Sotol series. Bissett soils are derived from limestone and are on mountain tops, flanks, and bases. Crotalus soils do not have petrocalcic horizons and are on mountain flanks and bases. Brewster and Reduff soils are lithic and are on mountain tops and flanks. Sotol soils have a clayey-skeletal control section and are on mountain flanks and bases.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow above and very slowly permeable in the petrocalcic horizon. Runoff is low on slopes of 3 to 5 percent and medium on slopes of 5 to 15 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the desert grassland type consisting of bush muhly, annual and perennial forbs, range ratany, creosote, mesquite, ephedra, and yucca species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: The zone from 0 to 8 inches. (A and Bk horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 8 inches. (A and Bk horizons)
Petrocalcic horizon: The zone from 8 to 12 inches (Bkm horizon)
Ustic feature: An aridic moisture that borders on an ustic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The assignment of the cation exchange capacity is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Updated competing series section 3/17/08, CEM