LOCATION RUSSLER NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Russler loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) heavy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; very weak very fine subangular and moderate fine granular structure with the surface 1 inch of weak thin to medium platy; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; calcareous; slightly alkaline; abrupt boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bw1--4 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bw2--12 to 24 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; very strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
BCky--24 to 34 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) heavy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; very strongly calcareous in many fine lime concretions and a few gypsum crystals; moderately alkaline; gradual irregular boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Cr--34 inches; gypsum
TYPE LOCATION: Eddy County, New Mexico; 1,980 feet east and 490 feet south of NW corner section 35, T.26S., R.29E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to gypsum bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
Calcium carbonate: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Soil moisture: moisture control section is dry in all parts 3/4 or more of the time the soil temperature is 41 degrees F. at 20 inches depth. Typic aridic moisture regime.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture: loam, silty clay loam or clay loam Some pedons have up to 3 or 4 inches of fine sand or fine sandy loam on the surface
Bw horizon
Hue: 2.5YR through 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: silty clay loam or clay loam
The lower part of the horizon is very strongly calcareous with carbonates and some gypsum appearing as very fine white masses. Some pedons have more strongly expressed structure in the lower part.
BCky horizon
Color and texture ranges are similar to the B2 horizon. It has some accumulated carbonates and gypsum in the form of masses or fine concretions. Some pedons have moderate prismatic structure, but blocky structure is most common.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Mercey (CA), Mimbres (NM), and Prelo (NM) series. Mercey soils are in the Central California Coast Range (MLRA 15) receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November. Mimbres and Prelo soils lack a paralithic contact at depths of less than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Russler soils are on nearly level or gently sloping, slightly concave landscapes with gradients generally less than 2 percent. Elevations range from 3,400 to 4,000 feet. The parent material is somewhat saline medium to moderately fine textured calcareous alluvial sediments over strongly gypsiferous interbedded clays, silts, sands, and gypsum bedrock. These sediments were derived from Permian and Triassic formations of the uplands. The climate is warm, semiarid, continental. The annual precipitation ranges from 10 to about 12 inches. The annual temperature is about 62 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ector, Holloman, Karro, Reeves, Sotim, and Upton soils and the competing Reakor soils. Ector, Karro, and Sotim soils have a calcic horizon. Ector soils have bedrock within a depth of 20 inches. Holloman soils lack a cambic horizon and have gypsum bedrock at depths of less than 20 inches. Reeves soils have a gypsic family control section. Upton soils have a petrocalcic horizon at depths of 7 to 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability above the gypsum. The gypsum material has a wide range of permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Limited irrigated cropland, grazing, and wildlife. Vegetation is alkali sacaton, black grama, vine mesquite, tobosa, burrograss, tarbush, and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Chaves, Eddy, Lincoln, and Otero Counties, New Mexico and in northern part of Reeves County, Texas. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carlsbad Irrigated Area, Eddy County, New Mexico, 1960.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 4 to 24 inches. (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006
Formerly classified as Reddish Brown soils.
ADDITIONAL DATA: S57NM8-17-(1-6).