LOCATION TELEFONO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Telefono silty clay loam-range and wooded. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed leaves, needles, and woody twigs. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and brown (7.5YR 4/2) heavy silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine subangular and angular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common, fine, and medium roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; common thin clay film on sand grains and lining pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--7 to 15 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) moist; strong fine angular and subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; few fine interstitial pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; about 5 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--15 to 27 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) cobbly clay, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine angular and subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky, plastic; few coarse roots and few fine interstitial and medium tubular pores; about 7 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 7 percent stones; slightly calcareous near limestone fragments; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk2--27 to 37 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few coarse roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 85 percent gravel, stones, and cobbles; slightly calcareous with few fine soft masses of carbonate; slightly alkaline; grades into consolidated bedrock. (4 to 12 inches thick)
R--37 inches; limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; about 1/2 mile west-southwest of Telefono Tank on the north-facing slope of east Telefono Canyon near the east 1/4 corner of sec. 5, T.14S., R.13E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 16 to 36 inches
Depth to bedrock: 20 to 40 inches.
Rock fragments: The average content of fragments in the control section ranges from 5 to 35 percent increasing with depth.
Average annual soil temperature: 39 to 43 degrees F.
Summer temperature: less than 59 degrees F.
Soil moisture: These soils are usually moist with the driest period occurring between April and June. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Reaction: solum ranges from slightly acid in the A and upper B21t horizons to slightly alkaline in the lower B22t horizons.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1.5 through 3.5 dry or moist
Organic matter: 2 to 10 percent.
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1.5 through 3.5
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay containing 35 to 60 percent clay.
Carbonates are absent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bandarito (CO), Encicado (NM), Gaines (NM), Robolata (NM), and Seeprid (UT) series. Bandarito soils have hue 10YR and yellower. Encicado soils have a discontinuity with clayey-skeletal materials in the subsoil. Gaines and Seeprid soils have a lithic contact deeper than 40 inches. Robolato soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Telefono soils are on gently sloping to moderately steep ridge tops, crests, and saddles of limestone hills and mountains at elevations of 7,700 to 10,000 feet. The parent materials are mainly from limestone. These soils occur in moist subhumid climate. Mean annual precipitation is about 20 to 26 inches with a summer maximum. Mean annual temperature is about36 to 41 degrees F. with a summer average soil temperature colder than 59 degrees F. The Thornthwaite P-E Index is about 45 to 60.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Caballo, Gaines, Mescalero, and Peso soils. Caballo and Gaines soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Mescalero and Peso soils have frigid temperature regime. Also, Mescalero soils are loamy-skeletal and Peso soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for native range, woodland, recreation, watershed and wildlife. Principal native vegetation is mountain brome, mountain muhly, Kentucky blue grass, fescue, white fir, Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, white pine, and oak brush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of south--central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County (Mescalero-Apache Area), New Mexico, 1970.
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