LOCATION TANBARK                 NM

Established Series
Rev. DBC-RJA-ACT
01/2015

TANBARK SERIES

The Tanbark series consists of soils that are very shallow and shallow to gypsum. They are well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in local alluvium derived from gypsum on knolls, hills, and mesas. Slopes range from 1 to 80 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, hypergypsic, mesic Lithic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Tanbark silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ay--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gypsiferous loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4), moist; 20 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots throughout; few very fine and fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; strongly effervescent, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 45 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8; electrical conductivity 2.1 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear smooth boundary.

Byy--4 to 7 inches (10 to 16 cm); pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) gypsiferous loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3), moist; 18 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots throughout; few fine dendritic tubular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and many very fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; violently effervescent, 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 73 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 7.9; electrical conductivity 3.4 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; very abrupt smooth boundary.

R--7 inches (16 cm); unweathered, unfractured, and indurated cemented gypsum bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Socorro County, New Mexico; 15 miles southeast of Claunch; 1,200 feet east and 2,800 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 12, T. 4 S., R. 8 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through October. The soil is driest during May and June. Ustic Aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil Temperature: 52 to 57 degrees F.

Depth to lithic contact: 6 to 20 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline
Gypsum content: 40 to 80 percent on a weighted average. Gypsum is mostly diseminated, containing less than 25 percent in visible weathered forms.

Ay horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous loam
Clay: 15 to 27 percent
Gypsum: 15 to 80 percent

Byy horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam
Clay: 15 to 27 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 80 percent

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tanbark soils are on knolls and hills. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent The soils formed in local alluvium derived from gypsum. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 to 14 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 50 to 56 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 120 to 190 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Winona and Tulargo soils. Winona soils occur on all positions of adjacent limestone dipslope hills. Tulargo soils occur on fan piedmonts adjacent to gypsiferous rock outcrop.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Tanbark soils are used for livestock grazing. Principal vegetation is blue grama, alkali sacaton, black grama, snakeweed, winterfat, coldinia, bigelow sagebrush, gyp muhly, juniper, Mormontea, algerita, and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral New Mexico and northern Arizona. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, New Mexico, 1981.

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

Ochric epipedon- the zone from 0 to 4 inches (Ay and Byy horizons)

Gypsic horizon- the zone from 0 to 7 inches (Ay and Byy horizons)

Lithic contact- 7 inches (R horizon)

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

ADDITIONAL DATA: None

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.