LOCATION SOTOL NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sotol gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) crushed, gravelly loam, black (5YR 2.5/1) crushed, moist; weak fine subangular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots throughout; 24 percent clay; 20 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch monzonite cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) crushed, very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) crushed, moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 32 percent clay; 10 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 35 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch monzonite cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 18 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) crushed, very gravelly clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) crushed, moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm; very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; 40 percent clay; 25 percent patchy faint clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch monzonite cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
C--18 to 32 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, very gravelly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) crushed, moist; massive; moderately hard friable; very sticky and very plastic; very few fine roots throughout; very few fine dendritic tubular pores; 40 percent clay; 30 percent nonflat subrounded 0.1- to 3-inch monzonite gravel and 5 percent nonflat subrounded 3- to 10-inch monzonite cobbles; noneffervescent by HCl, 1 normal; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--32 to 38 inches; reddish yellow; coarsely fractured weathered monzonite bedrock (2 to 8 inches thick).
R--38 inches; thickly bedded massive monzonite.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; approximately 3.1 miles west and 5.2 miles south of White Sands Missile Range, 240 feet east and 2,250 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 22, T. 23 S., R. 4 E. USGS Organ Peak topographic quadrangle; latitude 32 degrees, 17 minutes, 39.8 seconds north and longitude 106 degrees 31 minutes 43.5 seconds west. UTM zone 13S, 356010E, 3573885N; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The moisture control section is usually dry in some or in all parts for six-tenths or more of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Some part of the epipedon is moist for more than 90 cumulative days in most years when the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.
Depth to argillic horizon: 0 to 4 inches
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to paralithic contact: 18 to 38 inches
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 10 to 18 inches
Particle size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Coarse fragment content: 35 to 60 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: monzonite fragments; 15 to 35 percent total coarse fragments; 15 to 25 percent gravel; 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: monzonite fragments; 35 to 60 percent total coarse fragments; 35 to 50 percent gravel; 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Texture: clay loam, clay
C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture modifier: gravelly or very gravelly
Coarse fragments: monzonite fragments; 15 to 45 percent total coarse fragments; 15 to 35 percent gravel; 0 to 10 percent cobbles.
Texture: clay loam, clay
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Colluvium from monzonite
Landform: Mountain flanks and bases
Slope: 15 to 35 percent
Mean annual temperature: 58 to 61 degrees
Mean annual precipitation: 13 to 15 inches
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April. Precipitation during the months of January, February, and March is less than 13 percent of the total.
Frost-free period: 140 to 180 days
Elevation: 4,700 to 6,300 feet
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Rotagilla and
Poblano soils.
Rotagilla soils are shallow to bedrock and are on mountain tops and flanks.
Poblano soils have mollic epipedons greater than 20 inches and are on mountain flanks and bases.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is very high .
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the montane shrubland type consisting of sideoats grama, blue grama, green sprangletop, hairy grama, sotol, catclaw acacia, broom snakeweed, alligator juniper, and shrub live-oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; 2001
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 3 to 18 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 18 inches. (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 18 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Aridic feature: an ustic moisture that borders on the aridic moisture regime.
The assignment of the cation exchange capacity is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.