LOCATION RAYDAWN NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Raydawn very cobbly sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)Surface layer contains from 20 to 65 percent fragments.
A--0 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; strongly effervescent, 8 percent CaCO3 equivalent; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bk1--6 to 11 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates segregated as few fine irregularly shaped nodules; 16 percent CaCO3 equivalent; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--11 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; violently effervescent with roughly 50 percent visible calcium carbonate occurring as finely disseminated throughout the matrix and as coatings on rock fragments; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
2Bk3--30 to 49 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; 25 percent floating masses of pink (5YR 8/3) silty clay loam, pink (5YR 7/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to single grains; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; violently effervescent with roughly 25 percent visible calcium carbonate occurring finely disseminated throughout the matrix and as coatings on rock fragments; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 40 inches thick)
3C--49 to 60 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) silty clay loam, light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) moist; 10 percent medium rounded mottles of light greenish gray (5GY 8/1) material; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; very few fine and medium roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 8 miles N of Clines Corners, 50 m west of Hwy 285; USGS Clines Corners 7.5 minute quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees, 6 minutes, 32.8 seconds north, longitude 105 degrees, 43 minutes, 33.9 seconds west, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist in some part from December to March; intermittently moist from July to September; driest in May and June; ustic aridic moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 54 degrees F.
Particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches; clay content 10 to 18 percent; rock fragments average 30 to 55 percent of which about 75 percent are gravels and 25 percent cobbles.
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A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5
Texture: very cobbly sandy loam
Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 55 percent.
Texture: very cobbly sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam, very cobbly loam, very gravelly loam, very cobbly coarse sandy loam
2Bk horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 55 percent. In some pedons this horizon is weakly cemented.
Texture: very cobbly coarse sandy loam, very gravelly coarse sandy loam.
3C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Mottles: hues of 10Y, 5GY, and 10GY; values of 5 to 8; chromas of 1 or 2.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buffcreek(WY), Clapper(UT), Claprych(WY), Ildefonso(NM), Placitas(NM), Seis(NM), and Strych(UT) soils, of which, none overlie shale-derived residuum. The Buffcreek and Clapryche soils have cooler mean annual air temperatures of 45 degrees and 47 degrees F, respectively. The Placitas and Seis soils are moderately deep to bedrock. The Buffcreek, Clapper, Claprych, and Strych soils are located out of MLRA 70.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Raydawn soils formed on backslopes and shoulders of escarpments and interfluves of undulating plains. They formed in eolian materials and alluvium derived from granite, gneiss, and schist over residuum weathered from shale or sandstone. Slope ranges from 5 to 35 percent. The mean annual temperature is 49 to 51 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days. Elevation ranges from 5,800 to 7,100 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arojomil, Clovis, Nala, and Pastura soils similarly located on relict alluvial plains. The Arojomil and Pastura soils have petrocalcic horizons and occur on summit positions. Both Nala soils with coarse-loamy textures and Clovis soils with fine loamy textures are alluvial to greater than 80 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; Runoff is medium; Permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland and for wildlife. The vegetation is dominantly blue grama, New Mexico feathergrass, oneseed juniper, pricklypear cactus, and narrowleaf yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Raydawn 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. Raydawn is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - 6 to 49 inches. (Bk horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.