LOCATION SOTIM NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Sotim clay loam, range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine vesicular and common very fine pores; moderately calcareous with calcium carbonate disseminated; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bk1--4 to 14 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous with calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Bk2--14 to 36 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; strongly calcareous with calcium carbonate disseminated or as few fine distinct soft lime masses; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
Ck--36 to 50 inches; light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; strongly calcareous with accumulation of calcium carbonate in fine soft masses; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
Cky--50 to 60 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable; 15 to 20 percent gravel; few fine distinct gypsum crystals; strongly calcareous with calcium carbonate as thin coatings on rock fragments; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, New Mexico; 0.4 mile west on Route 336 from the east side of the White Sands Missile Range along the north side road ditch which is 0.3 mile west of the Panther site.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil temperature: 59 to 65 degrees F.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Effervescence: slightly to strongly calcareous
Depth to the calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
Soil moisture: Moisture control section is dry most years more than 3/4 of the time the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at depth of 20 inches. Typic aridic moisture regime.
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Ck horizon
Hue: 2.5YR through 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: loam or clay loam
Calcium carbonate: 15 to 40 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bridge (AZ), Chutum (AZ), Deltajo (NM), Laverkin (UT), Turney (NM), and Weedpatch (CA) series. Bridge soils have ash and tuff substrata. Chutum soils are in the Sonoran Desert (MLRA 40) have a moisture regime with almost equal (bi-modal) summer-winter distribution of precipitation. Deltajo soils are moderately deep to sedimentary bedrock. Laverkin soils have 45 to 60 percent fine and coarser sand. Turney soils have weakly cemented Bk horizons. Weedpatch soils are in the San Joaquin Valley (MLRA 17) receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sotim soils are on fans along upper portions of the basin floor at elevations of 4,000 to 4,900 feet. Slopes are nearly level to sloping with gradients ranging from 1 to 5 percent. The soils formed in calcareous medium textured mixed alluvial deposits influenced by red sandstone and shale. The annual precipitation is about 8 to 10 inches with a summer maximum. The mean annual temperature is 58 to 63 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Russler, Marcial, and Yesum soils. Russler soils are in the fine, silty family and contain gypsum in the control section. Yesum soils have gypsic horizons. Marcial soils have a fine control section and illitic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for military research and grazing by livestock. Native vegetation is principally alkali sacaton, tobosa, creosotebush, tarbush, and bush muhly.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (White Sands Missile Range Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 36 to 50 inches. (Ck horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999