LOCATION ONITE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Onite loamy sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loamy sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable; few fine roots; common fine pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine pores; sand grains and a few pebbles are thinly coated with reddish clay; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bk--12 to 18 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; few soft calcium carbonates masses and threads; thin discontinuous calcium carbonates coating on sand grains and few gravels; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk--18 to 25 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loamy sand, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; common fine pores; common soft calcium carbonates masses and threads; thin nearly continuous calcium carbonates coating on sand grains and gravels; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
2BC--25 to 63 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loamy sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common fine pores; strongly effervescent; thin, discontinuous carbonates coating on sand grains and gravel; 5 to 15 percent mixed igneous gravel; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; the NE1/4 NW1/4 section 5, T. 24 S., R. 3 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July through September with a slight bulge in December, January and February. The soil is driest during March, April and May. Typic Aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 59 to 72 degrees F.
Thickness of the A and B horizons - 10 to 28 inches with 0 to 20 percent gravel
A horizons with moist value and chroma of less than 4 are less than 7 inches thick.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR through 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam
Structure: weak to moderate, medium or coarse, subangular blocky
BC horizons
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: loamy sand, gravelly loamy sand, sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam
Special features: Some pedons have sandy clay loam layers in the lower C horizon
Gravel content: ranges from 0 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: ranges from 1 to 15 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Calcio (CA),
Cavalry (),
Gravesumit (CA),
Patriot () and
Yucca (NM) series.
Calcio, Gravesumit, and Patriot soils have calcic horizons within 20 inches of the surface.
Cavalry soils have calcic horizons between 20 and 40 inches of the surface.
Gravesumit soils contain 10 to 35 percent rock fragments and contain greater than 5 percent durinodes.
Yucca soils have 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the Bk horizon. The Calcio and Gravesummit soils do not receive appreciable summer precipitation and are moist in some part of the moisture control section for less than 20 days, cumulative, between July and September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Onite soils formed in fan alluvium, locally reworked by wind in the upper part, on slopes from 1 to 8 percent. The alluvial sediments are derived dominantly from acid igneous rocks. Elevations range from 3,800 to 5,700 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 57 to 66 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is 7 to 12 inches. The frost-free period is 170 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Sonoita soils and the Berino, Bluepoint, Cacique, Dona Ana, Jal, and Pintura soils. Bluepoint and Pintura soils do not have argillic horizons and have textures coarser than loamy very fine sand throughout the control section. Dona Ana, Cacique, and Berino soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the control section. Also, Cacique soils have a petrocalcic horizon at 20 to 40 inches. Jal soils do not have argillic horizons and have a calcic horizon at shallower depth.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for livestock grazing. Native vegetation is dominantly sand dropseed, black grama, bush muhly, mesa dropseed, range ratany, broom snakeweed, fluffgrass, Yucca elata, Mormon tea, scattered creosotebush, and annuals.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. It is moderately extensive. MLRA is 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 5 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 12 inches (Bt horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 18 to 63 inches (Bk2, Bk3 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil characterization data is available on this series, sample Number S62NM-7-3-(1 to 10), and S68NM-7-5-(1 to 10).