LOCATION TODEST NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Todest fine sandy loam-woodland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 1 inch; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; carbonates are disseminated; very slightly effervescent, 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
Bt--1 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; few faint clay films bridging sand grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Btk1--3 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films coating faces of peds and bridging sand grains; carbonates are disseminated and segregated in few very fine and fine masses; strongly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.
Btk2--10 to 18 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films coating faces of peds; common fine calcium carbonate concretions; calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in many fine masses; violently effervescent, 23 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 11 to 17 inches.)
Bk--18 to 25 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common fine irregular pores; common fine calcium carbonate concretions; calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in many fine masses and coating rock fragments; violently effervescent, 48 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 5 percent limestone gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
R--25 inches; limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: McKinley County, New Mexico; Thoreau Quadrangle; about 3.5 miles northeast of Thoreau, New Mexico; 108 degrees 10 minutes 27 seconds west longitude, 35 degrees 26 minutes 9 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section July through September and is moist in all or some parts during November through March. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature: 50 to 55 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to limestone
Depth to calcic horizon: 8 to 30 inches, 15 to 50 percent calcium carbonate equivalent
Particle size control section: 18 to 35 percent clay and greater than 30 percent sand
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel (mostly limestone with some sandstone)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Bt and Btk1 horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent limestone gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btk2 horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent limestone gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 5 to 15 percent total with 0 to 15 percent limestone gravel and 0 to 10 percent limestone cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: greater than 40 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alire (T) (NM), Brumley (CO), Goesling (NM), Maia (NM), Nomrah (NM), Nomrah (NM) and Pollow (T) (UT) series. Alire, Brumley, Goesling, Maia, and Nomrah soils are very deep. Pollow soils exclude any part of the argillic horizon from the calcic. Banquito soils are inactive. Pollow soils have soil temperatures less than 50 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Todest soils formed in eolian material, alluvium, and slope alluvium derived from limestone and sandstone and are on dip slopes of cuestas. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevation is 7,000 to 7,700 feet. The mean annual air temperature is 48 to 53 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 115 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shadilto and Vessilla soils. Shadilto soils are on dip slopes of cuestas and are shallow to limestone. Vessilla soils are on escarpments of cuestas and are shallow to sandstone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff, and moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This series is used for limestone products, wood products and livestock grazing. The present vegetation is pinyon, oneseed juniper, rabbitbrush, yucca, winterfat, blue grama and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central New Mexico. MLRA 35, LRR-D. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKinley County Area, New Mexico; McKinley County and Parts of Cibola and San Juan Counties, 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 1 to 18 inches (Bt, Btk1 and Btk2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 10 to 25 inches (Btk2 and Bk horizons)
Lithic contact - the boundary at 25 inches (R horizon)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Update and revision for the competing series section 2/08 DWD
Update competing series section 8 Dec 2008 CEM