LOCATION NAMBE                   NM

Established Series
Rev. JAW/JBC/KLS
09/2022

NAMBE SERIES

The Nambre series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material derived from granite, gneiss and schist. Nambre soils are on mountain sideslopes and have slopes of 20 to 100 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 112 cm and the mean annual air temperature is about 0 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Entic Haplocryods

TYPICAL PEDON: Nambe loam, spruce forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed organic matter consisting principally of needles, twigs and bark.

Oe--3 to 6 cm; partially decomposed organic matter.

A--6 to 14 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine crumb structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine to medium pores; approximately 10 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)

E--14 to 26 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium and fine roots; many fine to medium pores; approximately 15 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Bs1--26 to 52 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; approximately 30 percent stones; undersides of the stones have dark coatings presumed to be humus and iron oxides; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 36 cm thick)

Bs2--52 to 67 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; approximately 60 percent stones; the stones have reddish brown coatings presumed to be humus and iron oxides; cementation in places; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

C--67 to 158 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; approximately 60 percent stones; very strongly acid (pH 5.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; NW1/4 NE1/4 section 15, T.18N., R.11E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 degree C
Mean summer soil temperature--8 degrees C
Thickness of solum--45 to 90 cm
Reaction--pH 4.0 to 5.5
Base saturation-5 to 20 percent
Surface textures--loam and sandy loam
Rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent gravel and cobbles; 30 to 50 percent stones in the upper part of the solum and 50 to 80 percent in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon

A horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 through 3

E horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 through 4

Bs1 horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 5YR
Value--4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma--2 through 4
Texture--sandy loam
Clay content--6 to 15 percent
Silt content--5 to 30 percent
Sand content--55 to 80 percent

Bs2 horizon
Hue--7.5YR through 2.5YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 through 5
Texture--sandy loam
Clay content--6 to 15 percent
Silt content--5 to 30 percent
Sand content--55 to 80 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bensley, Crabtree, Endlich, Grenadier, Halleck, Holderman, Oatman and Valsetz series. Bensley, Grenadier and Halleck soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the Bs horizon. Crabtree soils have mottles with chroma of 2 or less within depths of 50 to 75 cm. Endlich, Holderman and Valsetz soils have bedrock at depths of less than 100 cm. Oatman soils are slightly acid in the upper part of the solum and medium acid in the lower part.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountain sideslopes
Elevations--3,050 meters and above
Slope-- less than 20 percent to 100 percent
Parent material--very strongly to strongly acid glacial till or slope wash sediments derived from granite, gneiss and schist
Mean annual precipitation--970 to 1,270 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0 degrees C
Mean annual summer air temperature--6 degrees C

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, watershed and recreation are the chief uses. The native vegetation is Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, geranium, pussytoes, sedge and brome.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nambe soils are of moderately extensive in the mountainous areas at high elevations in northern New Mexico; MLRAs 48A, 48B

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County (Santa Fe Area), New Mexico, 1970

REMARKS: Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 2/2022

ADDITIONAL DATA: Riverside Laboratory 70NM-26-88 and 70NM-26-89. Base saturation test determined by Hach field test kit.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.