LOCATION PENAGUA                 NM

Established Series
Rev. DGS-RLB-ACT
12/2014

PENAGUA SERIES

The Penagua series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in colluvium derived from limestone. These soils are on mountain slopes. Slope ranges from 15 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 17 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Typic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Penagua very cobbly silt loam--wooded. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ak1--0 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly silt loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) crushed, moist; strong very fine granular structure; 20 percent discontinuous distinct calcium carbonate coats on bottom surfaces of rock fragments; 5 percent fine spherical calcium carbonate masses; 25 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 30 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Ak2--6 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) crushed, moist; strong very fine granular structure; 20 percent discontinuous distinct calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 10 percent fine spherical calcium carbonate masses; 25 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 30 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Ak horizon is 8 to 20 inches)

Bk1--11 to 26 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) very cobbly silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) crushed, moist; moderate very fine granular structure; 80 percent continuous prominent calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 90 percent fine irregular calcium carbonate masses; 25 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 30 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bk2--26 to 33 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/3) very cobbly silt loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) crushed, moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; 80 percent continuous prominent calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 90 percent fine irregular calcium carbonate masses; 25 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 30 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bk3--33 to 46 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) very cobbly silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) crushed, moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; 80 percent continuous prominent calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 90 percent fine irregular calcium carbonate masses; 25 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 30 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bk4--46 to 80 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/3) very gravelly silt loam, pink (7.5YR 7/3) crushed, moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; 80 percent continuous prominent calcium carbonate coats on rock fragments; 90 percent fine irregular calcium carbonate masses; 15 percent subangular limestone cobbles and 40 percent subangular limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; approximately 3 miles south and 1 mile west of Timberon; 400 feet east and 20 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 3, T. 20 S., R. 12 E. USGS El Paso Canyon topographic quadrangle; latitude 32 degrees 35 minutes 26.48 seconds north and longitude 105 degrees 42 minutes 37.57 seconds west. UTM Zone: 13, 433328E, 3605945N; NAD 27. From Timberon go southeast to the trail leading through the locked gate to Rim Tank. Follow the trail south about 1.3 miles, cross the drainageway and parallel the pipeline heading south about 1,500 feet, turn east and work your way through the trees until the washed out tracks enter the arroyo, proceed down stream about 1,500 feet, on the right among the trees.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: An ustic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry in some or in all parts for six-tenths or less of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Some part of the epipedon is moist for more than 90 cumulative days in most years when the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F.

Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 48 to 55 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon: 10 to 20 inches thick
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 20 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Coarse fragment content: 35 to 80 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent (less than 20mm fraction)

Ak horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Rock fragments: limestone fragments; 35 to 75 percent total coarse fragments; 20 to 40 percent gravel; 15 to 30 percent cobbles

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 to 8 dry, 2.5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: limestone fragments; 35 to 70 percent total coarse fragments; 20 to 40 percent gravel; 15 to 30 percent cobbles

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Penagua series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in colluvium derived from limestone. These soils are on mountain slopes. Slope ranges from 15 to 35 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 46 to 54 degrees. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 18 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 120 to 180 days. The elevation ranges from 4,490 to 8,660 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cale, Deama, Modeama, and Penalto soils.
Cale soils are in the fine-silty family and are in valleys at lower elevations. Deama soils are less than 20 inches deep to limestone and are on limestone hills at lower elevations. Modeama soils are moderately deep to limestone and are on similar positions. Penalto soils are shallow to a petrocalcic horizon and are on hills at lower elevations.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is moderate on slopes of 15 to 20 percent and high on slopes greater than 20 percent.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the Pecos-Canadian Plains and Valleys (CP - 4) pinyon-juniper woodland type consisting of pinyon pine, oneseed juniper, alligator juniper, algertia, oak spp., mountain mahogany, stipa spp., sideoats grama, wolftail, curlyleaf muhly, metcalf muhly, pinyon ricegrass, beargrass, and prickly pear cactus.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico; LRR G, MLRA 42; the series is of 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 10 to 40 inches. (Ak2, Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 11 inches. (Ak1 and Ak2 horizons)

Calcic horizon: 11 to 80 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, and Bk4 horizons)

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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.