LOCATION NOUM NM

Established Series
Rev JG
12/2014

NOUM SERIES

The Noum series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed from mixed sandy eolian deposits overlying gypsiferous eolian sands. These undulating soils are on dunes, interdunes, and fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches (229 mm) and the mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F (18 degrees C).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy over coarse-gypseous, mixed over hypergypsic, superactive, thermic Typic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Noum loamy fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 1 inch (0 to 3 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 8 percent clay; weak very thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; 1 percent fine gravel; slightly effervescent, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 0.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; clear smooth boundary.

Bw--1 to 4 inches (3 to 10 cm); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4), moist; 9 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; 1 percent fine gravel; strongly effervescent, 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 0.9 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; diffuse wavy boundary.

Bk--4 to 14 inches (10 to 35 cm); brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3), moist; 12 percent clay; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout and few fine roots throughout; very few distinct pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2), dry, carbonate coats on rock fragments; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; 1 percent fine gravel; strongly effervescent, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 0.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; very abrupt wavy boundary.

2Byy--14 to 60 inches (35 to 152 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4), moist; 15 percent clay; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; carbonate, finely disseminated and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 62 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 3.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Socorro County, New Mexico. Approximately 2.5 miles east of the northern entrance gate (Stallion) to White Sands Missile Range. 656 feet east and 82 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 2, Township 6 S., Range 3 E., New Mexico Principal Meridian; USGS Quad, Cerro de la Campana; 33 degrees, 49 minutes, 23.8 seconds north and 106 degrees, 36 minutes, 37.2 seconds west, NAD 83, UTM Easting 350975 meters, UTM Northing 3743728. UTM Zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry all in parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches (5 degrees C at 50 cm).

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F (17 to 19 degrees C).

Depth to gypsic horizon: 7 to 40 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Gypsum content: 40 to 90 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Electrical conductivity: 0.4 to 8 mmhos/cm

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam
Clay: 4 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Bw horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy very fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay: 5 to 12 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

2Byy horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam
Clay: 8 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly saline to slightly saline
Gypsum: 50 to 80 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Slickcity series. These soils

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Noum soils are on dunes, indterdunes, and fan piedmonts. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in mixed sandy eolian deposits overlying gypsiferous eolian sands. Elevation ranges from 3,940 to 5,020 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Copia (NM), Wink (NM) and Pajarito (NM) series. Copia soils are sandy and do not have an underlying gypsic horizon. Wink soils are coarse-loamy and have a moderately deep calcic horizon. Pajarito soils are coarse loamy and do not have an underlying gypsic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mesa dropseed, giant dropseed, sand sagebrush, and soaptree yucca.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, MLRA 42. The soils are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Socorro County, White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 2014. The name is coined.

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

Particle Size Control Section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk and 2Byy horizons)

Ochric epipedon the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A and Bw1 horizons)

Cambic horizon- the zone from 1 to 14 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Gypsic horizon- the zone from 14 to 60 inches (2Byy horizon)

Strongly contrasting particle size classes- 14 inches (loamy over coarse-gypseous).

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.