LOCATION SALAGO NM
Established Series
Rev GWC-DAW
01/2016
SALAGO SERIES
The Salago series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on playas. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Typic Aquisalids
TYPICAL PEDON: Salago gypsiferous sandy clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Cnyyz1--0 to 3 inches (0 to 6 cm); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) gypsiferous sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4), moist; 20 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; gypsum, finely disseminated and salt, finely disseminated throughout; noneffervescent, 0 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 60 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 60.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; clear smooth boundary.
Cnyyz2--3 to 17 inches (6 to 42 cm); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gypsiferous sandy loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), moist; 9 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; gypsum, finely disseminated and salt, finely disseminated throughout; noneffervescent, 0 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 74 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 41.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; clear smooth boundary.
Cnyyzg--17 to 60 inches (42 to 152 cm); gray (N 5) gypsiferous sandy loam, dark gray (N 4), moist; 16 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; gypsum, finely disseminated and salt, finely disseminated throughout; noneffervescent, 0 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 62 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 55.0 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico. USGS Quad Lake Lucero; approximately 14.5 miles southwest of the intersection of US Highway 70 and the White Sands National Monument entrance; 2,145 feet north and 1,182 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 35, Township 18 S, Range 5 E. Latitude: 32 degrees 41 minutes 56.4 seconds north, Longitude: 106 degrees 24 minutes 25.60 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 368104 meters, UTM Northing: 3618794 meters. UTM zone 13.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime based on precipitation. Moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July - April. Driest during May and June. This soil has transitory internal free water and a fluctuating water table. Water table is at 20 to 40 inches in most years.
Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 5 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Electrical conductivity: 30 to 150 dS/m
Percent gypsum: 40 to 95 percent
Cnyyz horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, 10Y, N, 5GY
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous sandy clay loam
Clay: 0 to 27 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Cnyyzg horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, N, 10Y, 5Y, 5GY, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous loamy coarse sand, gypsiferous coarse sand, gypsiferous sandy clay loam
Clay: 0 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Salago soils are on playas. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,870 to 3,920 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the tentative
Lark (NM),
Carreta (NM),
Ratscat(NM) and
Sabkha (NM) soils. Lark soils are on vegetated dunes. Carreta soils are gypseous-skeletal. Ratscat soils have a gypsic horizon and are on relict shoreline complexes. Sabkha soils are fine-gypseous.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; negligible runoff; moderately slow to moderately rapid permeability. Water table ranges from 20 to 40 inches during most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are wildlife habitat, recreation and research activities. Salago soils are normally devoid of vegetation due to high salt content and ponding.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to White Sands National Monument, MLRA 42, Salago is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands National Monument, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Salago is derived from the Spanish words "sal' and "lago" which translate to salt and lake.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Cnyyz2 and Cnyyzg horizons)
Salic horizon - the zone from 0 to 60 inches (Cnyyz1, Cnyyz2, and Cnyyzg horizons)
Endosaturation - the zone from 36 to 60 inches (Cnyyzg horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS
Revised for the correlation of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico; April, 2015, NMS
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.