LOCATION RIBERA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ribera fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, very friable; many fine and very fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
BA--5 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist, moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting easily to moderate medium subangular blocky, very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; many fine and common medium tubular pores; few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Btk--17 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting easily to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine and common medium roots; many fine and common medium tubular pores, few thin clay films on peds and lining pores; slightly calcareous, carbonates segregated into few fine discontinuous filaments; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
BCk--26 to 31 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; strongly calcareous, carbonates segregated into common fine nearly continuous filaments; moderately alkaline, abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
R--31 inches; very strongly cemented sandstone bedrock with lime deposits on surface and in cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: San Miguel County, New Mexico; 1,320 feet west of center of section 33, T. 15 N., R. 13 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 22 to 31 inches thick. Depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR and value of 3 through 5. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam. This horizon is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The BA horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. It is loam or sandy clay loam.
The Bt and Btk horizons have hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 4 or 6. It is clay loam or sandy clay and averages 18 to 30 percent clay. Structure is moderate to strong coarse and very coarse prismatic or moderate to strong coarse and very coarse subangular blocky parting easily to moderate medium subangular blocky. Some pedons lack visible clay films in the lower part and some are noncalcareous. This horizon is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The BCk horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 4 or 6. It is sandy loam or loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arnor, Arwite, Augustine, Bigbow, Bosonoak, Carri, Celacy, Celavar, Dalhart, Deekay, Dermala, Elwop, Evpark, Flugle, Fort Collins, Gateson, Iwela, Lykorly, Navajita, Nyjack, Oldwolf, Olnest, Orlie, Parkelei, Pinitos, Rauzi, Rockybutte, Stoneham, Toluca, and Wagonhound series. Arnor, Arwite, Augustine, Bigbow, Bosonoak, Dalhart, Deekay, Dermala, Flugle, Fort Collins, Iwela, Lykorly, Navajita, Olnest, Orlie, Parkelei, Pinitos, Rauzi, Stoneham, Toluca, and Wagonhound are very deep. Celacy, Elwop, Gateson, Nyjack, and Oldwolf are moderately deep to a paralithic contact. Celavar soils have more dominant winter moisture. Rockybutte soils are moderately deep to fragmental material.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ribera soils are on upland fans and valley fill side slopes with slopes of 1 to 9 percent. The soils formed in eolian and alluvial deposits derived mainly from sandstone and shale. The elevation is 6,000 to 7,800 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 16 to 18 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free season is 110 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Leyba soils and the Dean, Diego (T), Laporte, Quintana (T), Tapia, and Teco (T) soils. Dean and Tapia soils are underlain by indurated caliche. Diego (T) and Laporte soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches. Quintana (T), and Teco (T) soils do not have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for rangeland. Native vegetation is blue grama, sand dropseed, snakeweed, cholla, pinyon, and juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern part of northeastern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Miguel County Area, San Miguel County, New Mexico, 1977.
REMARKS:
Ochric epipedon - soil surface to a depth of about 9 inches. (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon - 9 to about 26 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Lithic contact - 31 inches (top of R layer).
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 7/77.