LOCATION SALAS NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Salas very gravelly loam, range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 30 percent surface cover of stones; noncalcareous; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
B--6 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very and common fine and coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 45 percent gravel and cobbles; noncalcareous; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--12 to 23 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine,, and few coarse roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on peds and in pores; 50 percent gravel and cobbles; noncalcareous; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Btk--23 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very and common fine and medium roots; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; few thin clay films in pores; 55 percent gravel and cobbles; moderately calcareous with common fine threads of lime and thin lime coatings on bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Ck--28 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine interstitial and few very fine tubular pores; 55 percent stones, cobbles, and gravel; strongly calcareous, many masses of calcium carbonate and many coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
R--31 to 35 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) schist bedrock, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; lime coatings in the fractures and cleavage seams in the upper few inches; less weathering and less lime coatings below a depth of 35 inches.
TYPE LOCATION: Torrance County, New Mexico; about 1/2 mile north and 1/2 mile east of entrance to Cibola National Forest on Trigo Canyon Road; unsectioned by projection of sections, it is in NW1/4 section 6, T.5N., R.5E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of sola: 18 to 35 inches
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 50 to 58 degrees F.
Soil moisture: These soils are dry in some part between depths of 6 and 18 inches more than 1/2 the time during the period the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is as much or more than 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Rock fragments: range from pebbles to stones and range from 35 to 85 percent by volume, increasing as depth increases.
A horizon
Color: brown, dark brown or dark grayish brown.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 9 to 14 inches
Organic matter: averages 1 to 2 percent
B horizon
Color: brown or reddish brown
Texture: gravelly or very gravelly loam to gravelly very clay loam
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Bt horizon
Structure: weak fine subangular blocky to moderate medium subangular blocky
Bk horizon
Color: brown, reddish brown or pinkish gray
Texture: very gravelly loam to very gravelly clay loam
Ck horizon
Color: white, light gray or very pale brown
Consistence: soft to strongly cemented.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Golondrina (NM), Irock (NM), Jumbopeak (NV), Ligai (AZ), Majada (NM), Mokiak (UT), Montoso (NM), Murdo (SD), Nederland (CO), Purcella (NM), Romine (NM), Wandurn (NM), Wheelerwell (NV) and Willowman (WY) series. Golondrina, Majada, Montoso, Murdo, Nederland, Purcella, Romine, and Willoman soils are very deep. Jumbopeak soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact of gneiss and schist. Irock soils are deep. Ligai soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact of quartz diorite. Mokiak soils are noncalcareous. Wandurn soils are deep to a lithic contact of monzonite. Wheelerwell soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact of dolomite.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Salas soils are on hilly to very steep foothills and mountain slopes at 6,200 to 7,500 feet elevation. The slopes are dominantly 20 to 65 percent ranging from 15 to 85 percent. The soils formed in very gravelly to very stony medium to moderately fine textured material from schist, gneiss, quartzite, and some granite. The climate is semiarid continental. At the type location the average annual precipitation is about 14 inches with a marked summer maximum. The average annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deama, Ildefonso, Laporte, and Sedillo soils. Deama and Laporte soils are less than 20 inches deep to limestone bedrock and lack argillic horizons. Ildefonso soils lack argillic horizons and mollic epipedons and have calcic horizons. Sedillo soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock and lack a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid surface runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for rangeland, wildlife, and recreation. Native vegetation is principally black grama, sideoats grama, blue grama, Scribner needlegrass, needleandthread, bush muhly, and bottlebrush squirreltail with scattered oneseed juniper, pinyon, small soapweed, beargrass, and cholla.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of central New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Valencia County (East Valencia Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: The Salas soils were formerly classified as Reddish Chestnut soils. The type location of the Salas series was restudied on June 10, 1969 and the determination was made that the soils are loamy, skeletal.