LOCATION RANCE NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, gypsic, mesic Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Rance silt loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated)
A1--0 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky; abundant very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; calcareous; lime disseminated; mildly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
AC--5 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; calcareous; lime disseminated; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C1--15 to 26 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; structureless; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; calcareous; lime disseminated; few fine gypsum crystals; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary (7 to 16 inches thick)
C2--26 to 50 inches; white (10YR 8/2) silty very gypsiferous earthy material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; structureless; soft; estimated calcium sulfate content 40 percent or more.
TYPE LOCATION: Torrance County, New Mexico. SE1/4 of SW1/4 of Section 18, T.4N, R.15E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to highly gypsiferous material or bedrock is 30 to 50 inches. The weighted average of the textural control section is usually a silt loam with less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand and 18 to 30 percent clay.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 4 through 7 dry and moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. Structure is weak granular or subangular blocky.
The AC horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 6 through 8 dry or moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam. Structure is weak subangular blocky to massive.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 through 8 dry or moist, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry or moist.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Holloman, Karde, Malargo, Reeves, Reflection, Tanbark, and Tulargo in other families. Karde soils are in a fine-silty carbonatic family. Malargo, Reeves, and Reflection soils are in a fine-loamy family with thermic temperature and Aridic moisture regimes. Holloman and Tanbark soils have paralithic or lithic contact at less than 20 inches; also, Holloman has a thermic temperature regime. Tulargo soils are in a fine-loamy family with an aridic moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rance soils are on nearly level to gently sloping alluvial fans, piedmonts, and valley fill with slopes of 1 to 10 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,000 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 15 inches. The average annual air temperature ranges from 50 to 55 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 150 to 190 days. The Thornthwaite P-E index is about 25.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the La Fonda and Tanbark. La Fonda soils are deep have a B horizon and much less gypsum than Rance soils. Tanbark soils are shallow to gypsum rock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained with medium runoff and moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used exclusively for rangeland. Native vegetation consists of blue grama, ring muhly, winterfat, snakeweed, and occasional scattered pinyon and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Torrance Area, New Mexico, 1965.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 8/80.