LOCATION TENCEE NM+AZ TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic, shallow Calcic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tencee very gravelly sandy loam - rangeland (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 1 inch; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist with some parts pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2); weak medium platy and weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; common very fine pores; 45 percent gravel that are very hard and calcium carbonate cemented; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary (1 to 4 inches thick).
Bk--1 to 7 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular and weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; 55 percent gravel that are very hard and extremely hard carbonate-cemented nodules and plates which may readily be removed from the horizon; calcium carbonate-cemented fragments are stained light gray (10YR 7/2) and internally are dominantly very pale brown (10YR 8/3) with some parts pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2); strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary (0 to 16 inches thick).
Bkm1--7 to 13 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) carbonate indurated material, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure with prisms several feet across; prisms have smooth surfaces and part to weak or moderate thick and very thick plates; extremely hard; few roots in small channels or between plates; carbonate laminae occur discontinuously in upper part of uppermost plates; plates separated in places by loamy material in thin (1 to 2 mm) layers; plates have scattered pockets and channels, 2 to 5 mm diameter, filled or partially filled with loamy material; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary (0 to 12 inches thick).
Bkm2--13 to 26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) carbonate indurated material, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure with prisms several feet across; prisms have smooth surfaces and are discontinuously coated with calcium carbonate laminae; extremely hard; few pockets and channels, 2 to 5 cm in diameter are partially filled with loamy material and contain the only root in the horizon; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (8 to 48 inches thick).
BCk1--26 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; soil material among the nodules has weak fine granular structure; about 90 percent calcium carbonate cemented nodules occurring singly, 1 to 2 cm in diameter or in clusters 5 to 10 cm in diameter; some nodules have smooth surfaces; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (5 to 12 inches thick).
BCk2--35 to 50 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and non-plastic; 70 percent calcium carbonate indurated nodules; some nodules have smooth surfaces; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (10 to 20 inches thick).
BCk3--50 to 66 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; many sand grains coated with carbonate; few carbonate nodules, very pale brown (10YR 8/3); strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (5 to 15 inches thick).
BCk4--66 to 76 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, non-sticky and non plastic; thin, discontinuous carbonate coatings on sand grains; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; 0.1 mile north of U.S. Highway 70, west bank of borrow pit; SE 1/4 of section 19, R.1 E., T.23 S.; 106 degrees, 52 minutes, 52 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees, 17 minutes, 14 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July-September and December-April. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Depth to the petrocalcic horizon: ranges up to 20 inches
Soil temperature: 59 degrees to 72 degrees F.
Organic matter: averages less than 0.5 percent in the upper 15 inches
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 9 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly loam with more than 5 percent coarse fragments of hardpan fragments
Calcium carbonate equivalent: more than 40 percent from the surface to the petrocalcic horizon
Bkm horizon
Hue: 5YR, 10YR
Value: 7 to 9 dry, 6 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 5, dry or moist
Induration: continuously indurated except for scattered cracks and pockets
BCk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 9 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 5, dry or moist
Texture of the BCk1 and BCk2: extremely gravelly sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or loam and very gravelly sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam
Coarse fragments: more than 35 percent rock and hardpan fragments with more than 10 percent of the total being hardpan fragments
Texture of the BCk3 and BCk4: sandy loam, loamy sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ferrogold (NV), Infantry (NM), Neso (NM), Orrubo (AZ), Paisano (TX), Philder (NM), Sutherland (AZ), Wechech (NV), and Wodovar (NV) series. Ferrogold, Orrubo, Wechech, and Wodovar soils are in the Mohave Desert receive mostly winter precipitation and are usually dry from April through November. Neso soils have mean annual soil temperatures of 59 to 62 degrees F. In addition, Neso soils are in the Pecos-Canadian Plains and Valleys and are moist in May and June. Orrubo soils have Cr horizons below the hardpan at depths between 17 and 30 inches. Paisano and Philder soils are moist in the moisture control section for longer periods (ustic-aridic). Infantry and Sutherland soils are inactive.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Tencee soils are along terrace remnants and dissected scarps cut in old soils of relic Mid- Pleistocene basin floors. Erosion has partly or wholly truncated horizons once overlying the petrocalcic horizon. The soils are in narrow fingerlike patterns between the level or nearly level basin floor and steeper slopes that descent to the adjacent valley bottom. Small arroyos rising from the valley have cut old soils at the margin of the basin floor. The resultant landscape along the scarp consists of discontinuous ridges capped by the prominent light colored petrocalcic horizon. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent on the ridge crests while ridge side slopes are steeper ranging from about 10 to 40 percent. Elevations range from 2400 to 6000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 to 12 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 58 degrees to 64 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 180 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluepoint, Cacique, Cruces, Delnorte, Dona Ana, Sharvana, Tonuco, Upton and Yturbide soils. Bluepoint and Yturbide soils do not have diagnostic horizons and formed in deep sandy sediments. Cacique, Dona Ana and Sharvana soils have argillic horizons. Cruces and Upton soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section. Delnorte soils have mixed mineralogy. Tonuco soils are sandy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability over very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: These areas are generally idle, but may have some limited livestock grazing. Present vegetation is sparse consisting usually of a few creosotebush in places with scattered mariola, snakeweed, or tarbush. Some areas are barren of vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico, southwest Texas, and southern Arizona. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs are 41 and 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 1 to 7 inches (Bk horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon - the zone from 7 to 26 inches (Bkm1, Bkm2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999
Updated competing series section 3/18/08, CEM