LOCATION PREWITT            NM

Established Series
Rev. AJC/EHT
03/2003

PREWITT SERIES

The Prewitt series consists of moderately dark colored, well drained, calcareous alluvial soils developing on flood plains and low terraces in stratified, but predominantly moderately fine textured, calcareous alluvium. The parent materials are mixed alluvium consisting mainly of sediments from redbeds of Jurassic, Triassic, and Permian Age but containing minor amount of materials washed from Cretaceous sedimentary deposits. Prewitt soils occur in areas having average annual precipitation ranging from about 12 to 18 inches, with mean annual temperatures of about 57 degrees F. They normally have an A1 - AC - C horizon sequence with moderately dark colored A1 horizons and weak or no horizon of lime accumulation. The Prewitt soils are of moderately fine texture, as compared to medium textures of the San Jose series. Prewitt soils have darker surface horizons than Tours soils and are coarser textured than Ladrillo soils.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Fluventic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Prewitt clay loam.

Ap--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/33 clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak to moderate fine granular structure; calcareous; clear smooth boundary.

AC--4 to 14 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) clay loam, dark reddish gray (5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure breaking to medium granular peds under pressure; hard, friable; calcareous; clear smooth boundary.

C--14 to 50 + inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) stratified clay loam and silty clay loam, with some very fine sandy loam, dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable; calcareous.

TYPE LOCATION: Valencia County, New Mexico, NE1/4 SE1/4 SW1/4 Sec. 15 T.12N, R. 11.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Although strata of coarser and finer materials are nearly always present in the subsoil it is predominantly moderately fine textured. Salt content of the lower subsoil horizons ranges from none to moderate, and some salt may occur at any depth. Color of the A horizon may range in hue from 2.5YR to 7.5YR, in chroma from 1.5 to 3, and in value from 4 to 5.5. Color values of the moist A horizon range from 2 to 3.5. Hue of the C horizon may range from 2.5YR to 2.5Y with hues as red or redder than 7.5YR predominating.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nearly level to gently sloping flood plains and low terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Infiltration and permeability are moderately slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Large acreages of this soil are under irrigation and used for truck crops. Short grass in areas of native range.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western New Mexico and probably western Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valencia County (Bluewater Area); New Mexico, 1958. Series name is from Prewitt, New Mexico.

OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 1/61.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.