LOCATION PALOMAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Palomas fine sand, rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; structureless, single grain; loose; many fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; few small organic stains; neutral; clear smooth boundary(4 to 19 inches thick).
Bw--16 to 36 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; few fine tubular pores; common fine organic stains; neutral; gradual smooth boundary (8 to 16 inches thick).
Bt1--36 to 48 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; compound moderate medium subangular blocky structure and weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, sticky; common fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces and as bridges between sand grains; common small slightly darker organic stains on ped faces and along old root channels; neutral; clear smooth boundary (8 to 16 inches thick).
Bt2--48 to 60 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, slightly firm, sticky; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces, lining pores, and as bridges between sand grains; few small slightly darkened organic stains along root channels or on ped faces; few fine concretions, soft masses, or filaments of segregated lime; matrix is generally noncalcareous, slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary (4 to 12 inches thick).
Bk--60 to 66 inches; pinkish white (5YR 8/2) sandy loam, pinkish gray (5YR 7/2) moist; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky; lime mainly disseminated but a few medium soft bodies; calcareous; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lea County, New Mexico; west of highway in SE corner of section 28, T.17S., R.32E., about 3.8 miles south of Maljamar, New Mexico.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually these soils are dry between depths of 7 to 20 inches, usually from early October to early May. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Thickness of the solum is more than 24 inches and the particle size control section contains more than 50 percent sand.
Average annual soil temperature ranges from - 59 to 71.6 degrees F.
Depth to calcareous material is typically deeper than 50 inches, but it is as shallow as 36 inches.
Concretions or soft bodies of lime are lacking at depths of less than 40 inches and calcic horizons are lacking above 50 inches depth.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5, dry or moist
Structureless: single grain but some have weak subangular blocky structure
A horizon or the upper 15 inches of the solum averages less than 0.4 percent organic matter
Bw horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Texture: sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent clay.
Structure: weak to moderate and medium to coarse prismatic or subangular blocky structure.
C horizon same color as the B horizon, except where it contains disseminated lime,
Value: 1 to 3 units higher. Where the upper boundary of the C horizon is at depths less than 40 inches, the C horizon is noncalcareous in the upper part.
Segregated lime is lacking above 40 inches; below 40 inches concretions or soft bodies are few medium to fine. In some pedons, the amount of lime increases below 50 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Anway (AZ), Avenal (CA), Bryman (CA), Bucklebar (NM), Dutchflat (AZ), Garlock (CA), Hi Vista (CA), Milham (CA), and Neuralia (CA) series. Bryman, Dutchflat, Gralock, Hi Vista, and Neuralia soils are in the Mohave Desert. Avenal and Milham soils are in the San Joaquin Valley. These soils are moist in the soil moisture control section for less than 20 days cumulative between July and September. Avenal soils particle size control section contains less than 50 percent sand and less than 5 percent rock fragments. Anway soils particle size control section is dominantly 15 to 18 inches thick. Bucklebar soils have calcium carbonate accumulation at less than 40 inches deep and do not have a cambic horizon above the argillic. Dutchflat soils contain 15 to 35 percent rock fragment in the particle size control section. Garlock soils have hue 7.5YR and yellower. Hi Vista soils are moderately deep to granite bedrock. Milham soils are calcareous and has 10YR hue throughout the profile.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Palomas soils are on broad plains, alluvial fans and piedmont slopes. Slopes range from less than 1 percent to about 9 percent. The regolith is sandy sediments from mixed sources, and it is low in carbonates. The climate is arid continental. At the type location the average annual temperature is 64 degrees F., average annual precipitation is 13 inches, and the Thornthwaite annual P-E Index is about 14. The largest amounts of precipitation fall during July and August.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing Banbar, Maljamar and Pyote soils, these are the Kermit, Largo and Pajarito soils. The Kermit, Largo and Pajarito soils lack Bt2 horizons. In addition, the Largo soils are typically silt loam, and the Kermit and Pajarito soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well to somewhat excessively drained; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Major use is as livestock grazing. Native vegetation is sand bluestem, sideoats grama, black grama, sand dropseed, threeawns, sandsage, shinnoak, and yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This series is in eastern and southeastern New Mexico. It is of large extent. MLRA 42
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canadian River SCD, Quay County, New Mexico, 1941.
REMARKS: This revision of the Palomas series description does not alter the previous concept, but it defines it more precisely in terms of the comprehensive soil classification system. The type location has been shifted to nearer the center of the soils area of distribution.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in the pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 16 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 16 to 36 inches (Bw horizon)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 36 to 60 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon)
Updated competing series section 3/13/08, CEM