LOCATION TECO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Teco loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 6 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 22 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Btk--22 to 28 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--28 to 36 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) clay loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; strongly effervescent, common fine lime accumulations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
2C--36 to 60 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/8) gravelly very fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 5/8) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; 20 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: San Miguel County, New Mexico; 1 mile south of Red Tank; SE1/4NW1/4 sec. 8, T. 12 N., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: 50 to 56 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
A horizon
Hue: 10YR through 5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very cobbly fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or clay loam
Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay or clay
Clay percent: averages 35 to 45)
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent pebbles
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 7 moist
Chroma: 4 through 8
Texture: sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay
Rock fragments: averages 5 to 35 percent dominated by gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jacee (NM), Paguate (NM), Ramah (NM) and Teczuni (NM) series. Jacee and Paguate soils are 20 to 40 inches to a lithic or paralithic contact. Ramah soils have cooler mean annual temperatures. Teczuni soils have clay textured calcic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Teco soils are on hills and cuestas and have slopes of 0 to 40 percent. They formed in old alluvial deposits containing material derived from sandstone and shale. Elevations are from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. The soils are in a semiarid continental climate and receive about 75 percent of their moisture as rain between May and September. The frost-free season is about typically 140 to 165 days but ranges to 110 in some areas. The mean annual temperature is about 48 to 54 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is typically 12 to 14 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chilton and Sombodoro soils. Chilton soils are loamy-skeletal. Sombodoro soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 20 inches or less.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is blue grama, galleta, ring muhly and sand dropseed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mesas and high plains in New Mexico. The series is not extensive. MLRAs 35, 36 and 70A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Miguel County Area, New Mexico, 1977.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon) When the epipedon meets the color and organic carbon requirements of a mollic epipedon, it does not meet the thickness requirement.
Argillic horizon: The zone from 6 to 28 inches. (Bt horizon)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 22 to 36 inches. (Bk horizons) C horizons lack visible carbonates.
Classification changed to Calcidic subgroup in 2007.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.