LOCATION SPLOTTER NM+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Typic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Splotter gravelly loamy fine sand -rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A-- O to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly loamy fine sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary, (1 to 3 inches thick).
Bk1-- 2 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly loamy fine sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles that are fragments of the Bkm horizon; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick).
Bk2-- 9 to 16 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very cobbly fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent pebbles and 35 percent cobbles that are fragments of the Bkm horizon; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate as few fine irregular soft seams and filaments; moderately alkaline, (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bkm-- 16 to 27 inches; white (7.5YR 8/1); continuous indurated carbonate material containing few fractures; laminar cap in upper part; abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bk-- 27 to 60 inches; white (7.5YR 8/1); weakly and moderately cemented carbonate material; 20 to 40 percent cobblestones, becoming noncemented below a depth of 40 inches.
TYPE LOCATION: Eddy County, New Mexico; 10 miles West, of Loco Hills. 1200 feet South, 2400 feet East of the NW corner of section 2, T.17.S., R.28.E.; 104 degrees, 08 minutes, 48 seconds west longitude; 32 degrees, 48 minutes, 36 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - the moisture control section is dry in all parts more than three fourths of the time (cumulative) the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. The majority of the moisture is received May through October with the soil being moist intermittently above the SMCS or in the upper part of the SMCS for very short periods of time. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Soil temperature - 64 to 69 degrees F.
Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 4 to 20 inches.
Clay and sand content: clay averages in 8 to 18 percent. Total sand is less then 80 and greater than 47 percent.
Organic carbon: less than 0.80 percent.
The calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction: less than 15 percent above the petrocalcic horizon.
A Horizon-
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
Gravel: 5 to 25 percent
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly loamy fine sand, gravelly loam, fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand
Bk1 and Bk2 Horizons-
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam , gravelly loamy fine sand
Cobbles: 0 to 45 percent
Gravel: 15 to 25 percent
Bk (BCk) Horizon-
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 through 8 dry, 1 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 though 6
Texture: Very cobbly fine sandy loam, very cobbly loam
Cobbles: 30 to 40 percent
Gravel: 5 to 15 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Delthorny (AZ) and Hachita (NM) series. Delthorny soils have bedrock under the hardpan. Hachita soils have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Splotter soils are on undulating plains and low hills and have slopes of 1 to 6 percent. They formed in calcareous mixed alluvium derived from sedimentary material over indurated caliche. Elevations range from 2600 to 4200 feet. The average annual temperature ranges from 60 to 69 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. The frost free period is about 200 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Mentone, Tencee and Lozier soils. Lozier soils are less than 20 inches to a lithic contact. Mentone soils are deep clayey soils in playa positions. Tencee soils have carbonatic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow runoff, moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for grazing. The present vegetation is mesquite, creosote, javelina bush, broom snakeweed, black grama, three awn spp, dropseed spp., and tridens ssp.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern New Mexico and the Trans-Pecos area of Texas in MLRA 42. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eddy County, New Mexico, 1993. The name of Splotter is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon: the zone from 16 to 27 inches. (Bkm horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL S87NM-015-007