LOCATION RANCHOS NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Ranchos fine sandy loam, on a toeslope of an undulating plain sloping 3 percent to the west, at 6,609 feet elevation; rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on May 12th, 2003, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 2 inches (0 to 4 cm); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to single grain; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
BA--2 to 9 inches (4 to 24 cm); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium, common fine, and very few very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and very few medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 21 inches (24 to 53 cm); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very few very fine roots; few fine and medium tubular and few coarse interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Btk--21 to 30 inches (53 to 76 cm); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine, and medium tubular, and very few fine interstitial pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as very few very fine irregularly shaped soft masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bk1--30 to 50 inches (76 to 127 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) sandy loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; massive parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few medium and very few very fine roots; very few fine and medium tubular and very few fine interstitial pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as very few very fine irregularly shaped soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--50 to 85 inches (127 to 216 cm); reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few very fine, fine and medium pores; 1 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as very few fine irregularly shaped coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk3--85 to 100 inches (216 to 254 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; massive structure; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 1 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common very fine irregularly shaped coatings on ped faces; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3). (Combined thickness of Bk Horizons is 30 to 100 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico. About 7.0 miles east and 2.7 miles south of Stanley, just northwest of the headquarters for Davis Hat Ranch off Anaya Rd., USGS El Cuervo Buttes 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 06 minutes 35.0 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 51 minutes 22.9 seconds West, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Usually dry, is typically dry in all parts of the soil moisture control section from April 15 to July 1. Moist in some part periodically from July 1 through October. Moist intermittently from November to April 15. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 52 to 54 degrees F (11.1 to 12.2 degrees C)
Depth to base of cambic horizon - 60 to 80 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate) - 14 to 28 inches
Particle-size control section weighted averages 10 to 40 inches (25 to 100cm)
Silicate clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent;
Fine sand or coarser content: 40 to 60 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the surface and subsurface; moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the upper part of the substratum; moderately alkaline in the lower part of the substratum
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 1
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR and 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 1 to 10 percent, mostly gravel
Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR and 10YR
Value: 4 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam
Clay Content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 1 to 10 percent, mostly gravel
Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR and 10YR
Value: 5 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam
Clay Content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 1 to 10 percent, mostly gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent
Bk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam
Clay Content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 1 to 10 percent, mostly gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 6 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Begay, Delvalle, Ignacio, Kitsili, Koshare, Ojito, Parida, Remmit, Sandspring, and Turnback series. The Begay, Kitsili, and Sandspring series contain carbonates throughout the profiles. Delvalle, Koshare, Ojito, Parida, and Sandspring contain greater amounts of gravels in their particle size control sections, within which, Koshare contains 10 to 25 percent mica. Ignacio, Ojito, and Turnback series are moderately deep to bedrock. The Remmit series has yellower hues and occurs under cooler average annual temperatures.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ranchos soils are located on linear to slightly concave inset fans of undulating plains formed from eolian materials and alluvium derived from sandstone and shale on slopes of 3 to 8 percent. Elevation is 6,300 to 7,000 feet, mean annual temperatures range from 49 to 51 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation typically ranges from 12 to 14 inches with the peak periods occurring from July through October and January through March. The frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Davishat, Chupadera, Puertecito, and Villario soils. Davishat soils have an argillic horizon and are found on footslopes of undulating plains; Chupadera soils are located on structural benches and are moderately deep to a lithic contact; Puertecito soils are loamy, shallow to a lithic sandstone contact, and occur on backslopes of undulating scarp slopes of plains; Villario soils are loamy, shallow to a paralithic sandstone contact, and occur on backslopes of undulating scarp slopes of plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to moderate surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ranchos soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Present vegetation is blue grama, galleta, ring muhly, sand dropseed, walkingstick cholla, oneseed juniper and twoneedle pion.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ranchos soils are of small extent in the northeastern part of the Estancia Basin in the Mexican Highland section of the Basin and Range physiographic province in northcentral New Mexico, MLRA 70C.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico, 2005. Ranchos is taken from the Spanish word for ranches.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - surface to a depth 2 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - 2 to 80 inches (BA, Bt, Btk, and Bk horizons)2 to 80 inches.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.