LOCATION TORBELLINO              NM

Established Series
Rev GWC-DAW
03/2016

TORBELLINO SERIES

The Torbellino series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in gypsiferous eolian deposits and/or gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. These nearly level soils are on playa interdunes. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 67 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Torbellino gypsiferous sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

Cyy1--0 to 6 inches (0 to 15 cm); light gray (2.5Y 7/1) gypsiferous sandy loam, gray (2.5Y 6/1), moist; 11 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; slightly effervescent, 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 65 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 3.3 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear smooth boundary.

Cyy2--6 to 17 inches (15 to 43 cm); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gypsiferous sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3), moist; 28 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; slightly effervescent, 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 54 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 3.1 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline; clear smooth boundary.

Cyy3--17 to 60 inches (43 to 152 cm); light gray (2.5Y 7/1) gypsiferous loamy sand, gray (2.5Y 6/1), moist; 6 percent clay; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine irregular pores; carbonate, finely disseminated and gypsum, finely disseminated throughout; slightly effervescent, 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 75 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 2.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); very slightly saline.

TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico. USGS Lake Lucero; approximately 14.2 miles southwest of the intersection of US Hwy 70 and the entrance to White Sands National Monument; 1,990 feet north and 1,307 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 26, Township 18 S, Range 5 E. Latitude: 32 degrees 42 minutes 47.6 seconds north Longitude: 106 degrees 24 minutes 24.50 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 368154 meters UTM Northing: 3620369 meters. UTM zone 13.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime based on precipitation. The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. at 20 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 5 to 30 percent
Rock Fragments: Less than 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Salinity: very slightly saline or slightly saline
Percent calcium carbonate: 0 to 10 percent
Percent gypsum: 40 to 95 percent

Cyy Horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous loamy fine sand, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam, gypsiferous sandy clay loam
Clay: 5 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Gypsum: 40 to 100 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Torbellino soils are on playa interdunes. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed from gypsiferous eolian deposits and/or gypsiferous lacustrine deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,890 to 3,930 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 180 to 240 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Andrecito (NM), Lark (NM), Llano (NM), and Salago (NM) soils. Andrecito soils have a water table and a salic horizon. Lark soils have a sandy particle-size control section. Llano soils have a shallow petrogypsic horizon and a salic horizon, Salago soils have a salic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, fourwing saltbush, hairy coldenia, and soaptree yucca.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Torbellino is of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands National Monument, Dona Ana County, New Mexico, 2015. Coined name Torbellino is Spanish and translates to whirlwind in English.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Cyy2 and Cyy3 horizons)

Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014

Revised for the correlation of White Sands National Monument, New Mexico; April, 2015, NMS

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.