LOCATION NESO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic, shallow Calcic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Neso very gravelly fine sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; 30 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles, dominantly petrocalcic fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--6 to 12 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; 35 percent pebbles and 25 percent cobbles, dominantly petrocalcic fragments; violently effervescent, carbonates as coatings on the bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bkm--12 inches; petrocalcic, 2 to 3 feet thick.
TYPE LOCATION: De Baca County, New Mexico; about 9 miles north and 4 miles east of Yeso, New Mexico. 700 feet southwest of northeast corner of northwest quarter, sec. 16; T. 4 N., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the SMCS June through September and December through March.
Soil Temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 8 to 14 inches
Percent rock fragments: over 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent of less than 20 mm fraction: greater than 40 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, and very gravelly loamy fine sand.
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: very gravelly fine sand loam, very cobbly fine sandy loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, and extremely cobbly fine sandy loam with 10 to 20 percent clay with less than 28 percent silt.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Paisano (TX), Philder (MN), Sequite (T NV), Sutherland (AZ), Tencee (NM), and Wechech (T NV) series. Paisano and Sutherland soils have mean annual soil temperature greater than 62 but less than 70 degrees F. Philder soils are greater than 14 inches deep to a petrocalcic horizon. Sequite, Tencee, and Wechech soils are dry in the soil moisture control section for longer periods (typic/aridic) and support a distinctively different vegetative community.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neso soils are on ridges, plains and mesa tops. These soils formed calcareous alluvium and eolian material that formed a thick petrocalcic layer. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 15 inches, of which more than one-half occurs in the summer months during severe thunderstorms. Mean annual temperature ranges from 57 to 60 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 180 to 200 days and elevation ranges from 4,200 to 5,300 feet
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Kolar, Palo, Pojo, and Redona. Kolar soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments and are in small depressions. Pojo soils are coarse-loamy and 20 to 40 inches deep to a petrocalcic horizon. Palo soils have an argillic horizon and contain less than 35 percent rock fragments. Redona soils are more than 40 inches to a lithic contact and are in broad depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability of the soil material is moderately rapid over a very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent, medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and high on 3 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is rangeland; present vegetation is primarily black grama, sideoats grama, blue grama and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern New Mexico; Neso soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: De Baca County, New Mexico, 1983.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: 6 to l2 inches (Bk horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon: Indurated calcium carbonate at l2 inches (Bkm horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data obtained from S81NM-011-007, S81NM-011-008, and S81NM-011-009 by the NSSL.