LOCATION PUP NM
Established Series
Rev GWC
01/2015
PUP SERIES
The Pup series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in clayey alluvium over gypseous eolian deposits. These nearly level soils are on broad drainageways and alluvial flats. Slopes range from 0 to 9 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Chromic Salitorrerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Pup clay loam rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 5 inches (0 to 11 cm); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4), moist; 37 percent clay; weak medium platy over moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine and medium and common very fine roots throughout; common coarse tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout; violently effervescent, 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 5.7 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 3.0; clear smooth boundary.
Bnyz--5 to 14 inches (11 to 35 cm); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 42 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; common medium and many very fine roots throughout; few very fine tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; violently effervescent, 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 2 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 29.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 11.0; clear smooth boundary.
Bnssyz1--14 to 24 inches (35 to 60 cm); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4), moist; 44 percent clay; moderate medium prismatic parts to moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, extremely firm, slightly sticky, very plastic; few very fine and medium in cracks; common very fine tubular pores; few faint slickensides (pedogenic) on vertical faces of peds; carbonate, finely disseminated and few fine irregular gypsum crystals and common fine threadlike gypsum crystal clusters throughout; strongly effervescent, 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 13 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 35.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 34.0; gradual wavy boundary.
Bnssyz2--24 to 46 inches (60 to 115 cm); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 48 percent clay; moderate medium prismatic parts strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, slightly rigid, moderately sticky, very plastic; few very fine and medium roots in cracks; common distinct slickensides (pedogenic) on vertical faces of peds; carbonate finely disseminated and common fine threadlike gypsum crystal clusters and common fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 5 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 30.6 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 34.0; clear smooth boundary.
Bnssyz3--46 to 55 inches (115 to 138 cm); reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4), moist; 42 percent clay; moderate medium prismatic parts to moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, moderately sticky, very plastic; common distinct slickensides (pedogenic) on vertical faces of peds; carbonate, finely disseminated and many fine threadlike gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 12 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 24.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 32.0; clear smooth boundary.
2Cnyyz--55 to 60 inches (138 to 152 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/3) gypsiferous loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3), moist; 12 percent clay; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; carbonate, finely disseminated and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 63 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 31.5 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; sodium adsorption ratio 33.0.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. USGS Quad Capitol Peak SE. Latitude: 33 degrees 19 minutes 58.4 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 19 minutes 27.8 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 376742 meters, UTM Northing: 3688974 meters. UTM zone 13.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. The moisture control section is usually dry all in parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.
Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 72 degrees F.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
Gypsum content: 5 to 35 percent
Electrical conductivity: 16 to 60 dS/m
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 3 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, clay
Clay: 35 to 45 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: slightly to strongly saline
Bnyz horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 3 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 4, dry or moist
Clay: 40 to 50 percent
Gypsum: 2 to 25 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Bnssyz horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 3 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: sandy clay, clay
Clay: 40 to 55 percent
Gypsum: 5 to 25 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
2Cnyyz horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 7 to 8 dry, 6 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 4, dry or moist
Clay: 10 to 15 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 80 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pup soils are on broad drainageways and alluvial flats. Slope is 0 to 9 percent. These soils formed in clayey alluvium over gypseous eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 4,070 to 4,330 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Malpais
Spring (NM) and the
Yesum(NM) series. Malpais Spring soils have gypsic mineralogy and have a water table within 20 inches. Yesum soils have gypsic mineralogy and have coarse-loamy particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, fourwing saltbush, desert seepweed and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Najul soils are of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Pup is derived from the Pup Weapons Impact Target on White Sands Missile Range.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bnyz, Bnssyz1, and Bnssyz2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon- the zone from 0 to 5 inches (A horizon)
Gypsic horizon- the zone from 5 to 60 inches (Bnyz, Bnssyz1, Bnssyz2, Bnssyz3, and 2Cnyyz horizons)
Salic horizon- the zone from 5 to 60 inches (Bnyz, Bnssyz1, Bnssyz2, Bnssyz3, and 2Cnyyz horizons)
Slickensides- the zone from 14 to 55 inches (Bnssyz1, Bnssyz2, and Bnssyz3 horizons)
Abrupt textural change- 55 inches
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.