LOCATION SABROSO            NM
Tentative Series
Rev. SAS/CDH/WJG
12/2007

SABROSO SERIES


The Sabroso series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in colluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Sabroso soils are on backslopes of south-facing plateaus and mesas. Slopes are 35 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches and mean annual temperature is about 46 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Sabroso extremely cobbly loam, on a backslope below a mesa sloping 48 percent to the east southeast at 104 degrees, at 7,640 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 16th, 1999, the soil was dry from 0 to 8 inches, moist from 8 to 47 inches, and dry from 47 to 66 inches.)

A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 35 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)

AB--2 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, common very fine, and few fine roots; few very fine and few fine tubular shaped pores; 30 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)

Bt1--6 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, few fine, and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--10 to 15 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse, few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; common fine and few very fine tubular pores; common distinct and few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary

Bt3--15 to 25 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse, common medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; few prominent and common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 35 percent gravel and 5 cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary

Bt4--25 to 33 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very gravelly clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse and few fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; common prominent and few distict clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary.(combined thickness of Bt horizons is 27 to 37 inches)

Btk1--33 to 48 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few prominent and common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; non to strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on surfaces along pores and on rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary.

Btk2--48 to 66 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few distinct and few faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly to violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on surfaces along pores and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary.(combined thickness of Btk horizons is 33 to 77 inches)

2R--66 inches; very strongly cemented sandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; 3 miles and 2984 feet south east of the Hwy 25 Glorieta exit at 166 degrees; USGS Glorieta 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 31 minutes 58 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 45 minutes 11 seconds West, NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture- The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.

Soil temperature - 48 to 50 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 31 to 79 inches
Depth to calcareous material (as visible secondary calcium carbonate) - 30 to 42 inches
Reaction - neutral in the surface and the upper part of the subsoil; slightly to moderately alkaline in the lower part of the subsoil
Salinity: 0 to 1
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 1

Particle size control section weighted averages: -
Silicate clay content: 35 to 45 percent
Sand content: 20 to 45 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 10 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 50 percent paragravel, 20 to 40 percent gravel, 10 to 20 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones and 0 to 10 percent boulders; lithology of fragments is sandstone

A horizon
Value: 3 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Rock fragments: 25 to 35 percent gravel, 20 to 30 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones.

AB horizon
Rock fragments: 25 to 35 percent gravel and 10 to 20 percent cobbles

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Texture: very gravelly clay loam, very gravelly clay, or very cobbly clay loam.
Rock fragments: 30 to 40 percent gravel and 5 to 15 percent cobbles

Btk horizons
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry and moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry and moist
Texture: gravelly clay, very cobbly clay loam, or very stony clay
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cochiti(NM), Devisadero(NM), Patos(NM), and Silverstrike(AZ) series. Cochiti soils have no lithic contact and have no accumulation of secondary carbonates. Devisadero soils are moderately deep to weathered sandstone. Patos soils have no lithic contact. Silverstrike soils have no lithic contact and no accumulation of secondary carbonates.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sabroso soils are on backslopes of mesas. They formed in colluvium derived from sandstone and shale. Slopes are 35 to 60 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Altezita, Esquila, Estrada, and Verona soils. Altezita soils are loamy, very shallow, have a mollic epipedon, and occur on summits of plateaus. Esquila soils are clayey, are shallow to sandstone bedrock, and occur on toeslopes of plateaus. Estrada soils are fine-loamy, have a thick mollic epipedon, and occur on toeslopes of valley sides. Verona soils have a mollic epipedon, are in a frigid temperature regime, and occur on north-facing backslopes of mesas.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high surface runoff; slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: Sabroso soils are used for livestock grazing and recreation. Present vegetation is blue grama, sand dropseed, bottlebrush squirreltail, side oats grama, Gambel oak, oneseed juniper, Rocky Mountain juniper, and twoneedle pion.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sabroso soils are of small extent on the northern Glorieta Slope part of the Pecos Valley section of the Great Plains physiographic province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 70A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.

SERIES PROPOSED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2000. Sabroso is a local place name.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches (A horizon and AB horizon)

Argillic horizon - 6 to 66 inches (Bt horizons and Btk horizons)

Lithic contact - 66 inches (top of 2R layer).

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.

ADDITIONAL DATA: The series type location was sampled for the National Soil Survey Laboratory (NSSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S99NM-049-002. Reference analyses such as particle-size distribution, organic carbon content, and cation exchange capacity were performed.

Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.