LOCATION RAYOHILL NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, mesic Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Rayohill fine sandy loam - on a small northeast facing knoll, slope of 4 percent at 6,110 feet elevation - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 1 inch; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak thin platy and weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (l to 5 inches thick)
Byl--1 to l3 inches; white (N 8/0) silt loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; many very coarse rounded soft accumulations of fine gypsum crystals; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (l0 to l3 inches thick)
By2--l3 to 25 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; common very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; many very coarse rounded soft accumulations of fine gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to l2 inches thick)
BC--25 to 33 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine discontinuous irregularly shaped pores; common medium rounded clusters of gypsum crystals; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to l0 inches thick)
2Cr--33 to 36 inches; weathered gypsum bedrock, gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
2R--36 inches; hard gypsum bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Socorro County, New Mexico; about l mile southeast of Chupadera, New Mexico, and .25 mile west of the junction of Canon Torcido and the Chupadera Arroyo; in the SE l/4, NW l/4, Sec. 6, T. l S., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the gypsic horizon: l to 5 inches
Salinity (dS/m): 4 to l6
Percent calcium carbonate equivalent: l to 5
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Silicate clay: 5 to l5 percent
Gypsum Sand: l5 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to l0 percent fine and medium pebbles
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
The upper part of the bedrock of the point of contact is weathered and soft but grades with depth into harder unweathered strata.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Byl horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, Neutral
Value: 8 dry, 7 or 8 moist
Chroma: 0 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Percent gypsum: 70 to 80
By2 horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10Y, Neutral
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 to 8 moist
Chroma: 0 to 4 dry, 2 to 4
Percent gypsum by weight: 50 to 60
Apparent texture: loam or silt loam
BC horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Percent gypsum: 35 to 55
Apparent texture: fine sandy loam or sandy loam
with some pedons having thin horizons of loam or loamy sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Mccullan (AZ) and Netoma (NM) series. A similar soil is the Mussentuchit series. Mccullen and Netoma soils are very deep. Mussentuchit soils have a calcic horizon and have an electrical conductivity of less than 4 dS/m.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rayohill soils are on knolls, alluvial fans and
pediments, which are underlain at moderate depths by gypsum or gypsiferous silt stone bedrock. Slope ranges from l to 6 percent. The average annual precipitation ranges from l0 to l5 inches the average annual air temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F. The average frost-free period ranges from l50 to l80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ildecarb, Cerrillos, Clovis, Harvey, Jornaham, La Fonda, Penistaja, Pirodel, Tanbark and the competing Netoma soils. The Ildecarb soils are loamy-skeletal and have carbonatic mineralogy. Cerrillos, Clovis, Harvey, La Fonda and Penistaja are fine-loamy and do not have a paralithic contact within depths of 40 inches. Jornaham and Pirodel soils have calcic horizons. Tanbark soils have a paralithic contact within depths of 20 inches. Elevation ranges from 5,600 to 6,300 feet.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is very low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rayohill soils are used for livestock grazing. Present vegetation is black grama, blue grama, gyp dropseed, algerita, soapweed yucca and one-seed juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rayohill soils are of small extent in central New Mexico.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Socorro County, New Mexico, l984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 1 inch. (A horizon)
Gypsic horizon: l to 25 inches. (By horizon)
Lithic contact: 33 to 36 inches. (Cr horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data NSSL; S82NM-053-2 and S82NM-053-3 verify percent gypsum, percent calcium carbonate and coarse fragments.