LOCATION SHOT                    NM

Established Series
GWC
01/2015

SHOT SERIES

The Shot series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in sandy gypsiferous eolian deposits. These undulating soils are on stabilized dunes on dune fields. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Leptic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Shot sandy loam rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

Ay--0 to 1 inch (0 to 3 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3), moist; 15 percent clay; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated and common very fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; strongly effervescent, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 4 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 1.9 dS/m (mmhos/cm); non-saline; abrupt wavy boundary.

Byy1--1 to 12 inches (3 to 30 cm); pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gypsiferous sand, pink (7.5YR 7/4), moist; 5 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout and few fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and common fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals, throughout and common medium irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 78 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 2.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear wavy boundary.

Byy2--12 to 24 inches (30 to 60 cm); pink (7.5YR 7/4) gypsiferous sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4), moist; 5 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few medium roots throughout and few fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout and common very fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 53 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; electrical conductivity 4.3 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Byy3--24 to 40 inches (60 to 100 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous sand, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; 3 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout and common very fine irregular gypsum crystal clusters throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 60 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; electrical conductivity 3.9 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Cyy--40 to 55 inches (100 to 140 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4), moist; 1 percent clay; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 46 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.4; electrical conductivity 6.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); slightly saline; gradual wavy boundary.

Cyyz--55 to 60 inches (140 to 152 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; 1 percent clay; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; carbonate, finely disseminated throughout and many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; slightly effervescent, 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 51 percent gypsum; strongly alkaline, pH 8.5; electrical conductivity 8.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); moderately saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 8.85 miles east and 3.55 miles south of junction of Range Roads 6 and 7, Rhodes Canyon; 1,823 feet east and 2,867 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 7, Township 14 south, Range 7 east, USGS Quad 15 Mile Lake; Latitude: 33 degrees 6 minutes 39.00 seconds north Longitude: 106 degrees 20 minutes 4.12 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 375490 meters UTM Northing: 3664366 meters. UTM zone 13

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 1 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slight to moderately saline
Gypsum content: 25 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 4 percent

Ay horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 7, dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Gypsum content: 2 to 50 percent

Byy horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay content: 1 to 24 percent
Gypsum content: 30 to 80 percent

Cyy and Cyyz horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
Clay content: 1 to 35 percent
Gypsum content: 40 to 80 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Astrobee (NM), Bracken (NV), Mamtrack (NM), Peligro (NM), Whitebasin (NV), Wulie (NM), and Yesum series. Astrobee soils are formed in nearly level, stabilized parabolic interdunes. Bracken soils have less than 30 percent selenite crystals in the PSCS, are deep to a paralithic contact and are in the Mohave Desert (MLRA 30). Mamtrack soils have gleyed hues within the PSCS and are found on relict shorelines. Peligro soils are formed in strongly sloping relict playa dunes. Whitebasin soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact and are in the Mohave Desert (MLRA 30). Wulie soils have less than 35 percent selenite crystals in the PSCS and have a lacustrine horizon at the bottom of the PSCS. Yesum soils have sandy loam and finer textures and are moderately to strongly saline.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shot soils are on stabilized dunes. Slope is 0 to 20 percent. These soils formed from sandy gypsiferous eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,900 to 4,120 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls in all months as gentle winter storms and with increased amounts during high intensity summer storms. 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 Shrike (T) (NM), Aerobee (T) (NM) and Hembrillo (T) (NM) series. Shrike soils have a fine-loamy lacustrine layer beneath the sandy particle-size control section. Aerobee soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Hembrillo soils do not have pedogenic gypsum masses.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; low runoff; very rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, gyp dropseed, four-wing saltbush, and Torrey's ephedra.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Shot is of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Shot was derived from a missile launch site on White Sands Missile Range.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Byy1, Byy2, and Byy3 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (Ayy horizon)

Gypsic horizon the zone from 1 to 40 inches (Byy1, Byy2 and Byy3 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

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.