LOCATION PATRIOT NM+TX
Established Series
Rev. DGS/RLB
12/2014
PATRIOT SERIES
The Patriot series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils formed in eolian sands over alluvium. These nearly level to gently sloping soils are on interdunes and alluvial flats on basin floors. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 64 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Patriot sand -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 4 percent clay; single grain and weak very thin platy structure; loose, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; very slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 6 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 14 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; very slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btk1--6 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 14 percent clay; weak medium prismatic and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; 10 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Btk2--9 to 19 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; 15 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Btk3--19 to 28 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains and 10 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 15 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 18 to 35 inches.)
Bk1--28 to 39 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 8 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--39 to 51 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/8) crushed, moist; 6 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.7), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk3--51 to 80 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 6 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.8), pH meter 1:1 water.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; approximately 5 miles east and 11.2 miles north of Oro Grande; 1,600 feet E. and 1,000 feet N. of the SW corner of Section 27, T. 29 S. , R. 9 E.; UTM zone 13, 405765E, 3600149N; NAD 27; USGS Tres Hermanos SE topographic quadrangle; latitude 32 degrees 32 minutes 18.5 seconds N. and longitude 106 degrees 0 minutes 21.1 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 63 to 72 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the calcic horizon: 2 to 10 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 5 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam
Btk horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 5 dry, 6 to 8 moist
Texture: loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 0 to 5 percent gravel size fragments
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Calcio (CA), Calvary (TX),
Gravesumit (CA),
Onite (NM), and
Yucca (NM) series. Calcio soil contain more than 15 percent calcium carbonates equivalent.
Cavalry soils depth to calcic is 20 to 40 inches. Gravesumit soils contain 10 to 35 percent rock fragment in the particle size control section, and contain greater than 5 percent durinodes in the particle size control section that cemented by silica. Onite soils have the base of the argillic horizon within 20 inches of the surface. Yucca soils have 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the Bk horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Patriot soils are on interdunes and alluvial flats on basin floors. They formed in eolian sands over alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Elevation ranges from 3,900 to 5,210 feet. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 62 to 70 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April. Precipitation during the months of January, February, and March is less than 13 percent of the total. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Copia,
Elizario,
Foxtrot,
Hueco,
Mcnew, and
Nations soils. Copia soils do not have argillic horizons and are on sand sheets on the basin floor.
Elizario soils have calcic horizons at depths greater than 20 inches and are on slightly depressed alluvial flats of the basin floor.
Foxtrot,
Hueco, and
Nations soils are moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon and are on the basin floor.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff is very low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type consisting of mesa dropseed, spike dropseed, sand dropseed, threeawns, sand sage, broom snakeweed, fourwing saltbush, and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico; 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 3 to 23 inches. (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 7 inches. (A, Bt, and Btk1 horizons, mixed to 7 inches)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 28 inches. (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 6 to 28 inches. (Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
The assignment of the cation exchange capacity is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
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.