LOCATION NEIMAHR                 TX

Established Series
LEL/JAC/ALS
07/2012

NEIMAHR SERIES

The Neimahr series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from rock gypsum and sandstone. Neimahr soils are on alluvial flats. Slopes are 1 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F. (18 degrees C)and the mean annual precipitation is about 13 inches (330 mm).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Lithic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Neimahr very fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 5 inches, (0 to 13 cm); brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 23 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches [8 to 20 cm] thick)

Bw--5 to 10 inches, (13 to 25 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; 28 percent clay; strong medium subangular blocky parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 32 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches [8 to 20 cm] thick)

Bk--10 to 17 inches, (25 to 43 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; 34 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; very few fine roots; very few fine pores; 2 percent prominent carbonate coats on rock fragments and 7 percent faint carbonate coats on ped faces; 2 percent subrounded fine gyprock gravel; 39 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; 1 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); very abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches [3 to 20 cm] thick)

R--17 inches, (43 cm); gypsum bedrock; indurated; few fine roots in mat at top of bedrock; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 60 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Culberson County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and Texas Highway 54 in Van Horn; 0.65 mile north on Texas Highway 54 to intersection with FM 2185; 48.7 miles east and north on FM 2158 to end of pavement; 11.8 miles north on Smileys Road to intersection with KC Road; east on KC Road through cattle guard; 645 feet south on ranch trail on east side of fence; and 125 feet east in range. (KC Ranch TX USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 31 degrees, 34 minutes, 44.55 seconds N, Longitude: 104 degrees, 25 minutes, 29.45 seconds W, NAD83; UTM Easting 554618 m, UTM Northing 3493905 m, UTM Zone 13, NAD83.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil is intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July to September. It is driest during November to March. Most precipitation occurs as high intensity rain during afternoon convective thunderstorms from June to September. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 62 to 65 degrees F. (17 to 18 degrees C)

Depth to cambic horizon: 3 to 8 inches

Depth to secondary carbonates: 5 to 10 inches

Depth to Lithic contact: 8 to 20 inches (20 to 50 cm)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Effervescence: strong or violent

Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Effervescence: strong or violent

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Effervescence: strong or violent

R layer
Bedrock kind: rock gypsum
Cementation class: very strongly cemented or indurated

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neimahr soils are on alluvial flats in karst. They formed in alluvium derived from rock gypsum and sandstone. Slope ranges to 1 to 3 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 5,500 feet (1,219 to 1,676 m). The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches (305 to 406 mm). The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 67 degrees F. (17 to 19 degrees C). The frost-free period is about 210 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dellahunt (T) (TX), Elcor (T) (TX), Hollebeke (T) (TX), Joberanch (T) (TX), Pokorny (T) (TX), and Walkerwells (T) (TX) soils. Dellahunt and Walkerwells soils are deep and occur lower in the landscape. Elcor soils have hypergypsic mineralogy and occur higher in the landscape. Hollebeke, Joberanch and Pokorny soils have a petrogypsic horizon and occur higher in the landscape.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation physiognomy is desert grassland. Vegetation includes western honey mesquite, littleleaf sumac and mariola, burrograss, sideoats grama, and scattered tobosa.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: LRR-D, MLRA 42, Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains, Desert Grassland LRU; Trans-Pecos Texas in areas of Permian-age Castile formation. The series is not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudspeth County, Texas; Soil Survey of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part), 2012.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 cm) (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 17 inches (13 to 43 cm) (Bw and Bk horizons)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 17 inches (43 cm) (R horizon)

Classified according the Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data from Texas Tech University Soils Laboratory are available for the typical pedon, S09-TX109-001.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.