LOCATION TORNADO NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tornado silty clay rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 40 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots throughout; common fine pores; carbonates finely disseminated, 27 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter, saturated paste; nonsaline, EC of 1.7 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--4 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 45 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; common fine and medium pores; 1 percent fine irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds, 28 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.5), pH meter, saturated paste; very slightly saline, EC of 2.1 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste; clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--15 to 26 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 48 percent clay; weak very coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and few medium roots throughout; few fine pores; 3 percent medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds, 28 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.5), pH meter, saturated paste; very slightly saline, EC of 3.0 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste; clear smooth boundary.
Bk3--26 to 48 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 55 percent clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, very hard, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine roots throughout; few fine pores; 2 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses on surfaces along pores and 3 percent medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds, 29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter, saturated paste; slightly saline, EC of 4.2 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste; clear smooth boundary.
Bk4--48 to 55 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3), moist; 40 percent clay; moderate medium platy structure; friable, hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; few fine pores; 2 percent fine and 1 percent medium irregular carbonate masses on faces of peds, 28 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; 1 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.5), pH meter, saturated paste; slightly saline, EC of 7.5 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste; clear smooth boundary.
Bk5--55 to 63 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3), moist; 37 percent clay; moderate medium platy parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine pores; 4 percent medium carbonate masses on faces of peds, 26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, violently effervescent, by HCl, 1 N; 4 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.7), pH meter, saturated paste; slightly saline, EC of 7.0 mmhos/cm by EC meter, saturated paste. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 50 to 61 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; about 7.9 miles north and 0.4 miles west of Holloman Air Force Base main gate; located about 250 feet south and 2650 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 12, T. 16S, R. 9E; USGS quad Malone Draw; Latitude: 32 degrees, 56 minutes, 45.4 seconds N; Longitude: 106 degrees, 4 minutes, 28.5 seconds W, NAD 83; UTM 0399533 E, 3645798 N, UTM Zone 13.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. 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: 64 to 68 degrees F.
Clay content in the control section: 35 to 50 percent
Linear extensibility: 6.0 cm or more from the surface horizon to 55 inches
Electrical conductivity: 1 to 8 mmhos/cm
A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay, clay, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 45 percent
Bk horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay
Clay content: 27 to 55 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent disseminated; less than 5 percent occurs as secondary calcium carbonate
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Caticon (NM), and Ciervo (CA) series. Caticon soil have less than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 7.5YR and 10YR hues. Ciervo soils have less than 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, 2.5Y hues, and are moderately well drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tornado soils are on drainages on fan piedmonts and receive additional run on moisture. Slope is 1 to 3 percent. These soils formed from clayey alluvium. Elevation ranges from 4,100 to 4,265 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. Precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 66 degrees F. The frost-free period is 200 to 250 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bomber, Corvus, Matador, Nasa and Yesum soils. Bomber soils have a gypsic mineralogy and are in drainages. Corvus soils have petrogypsic horizons between 5 and 20 inches and are on relict dunes and fan piedmonts. Matador soils have salic horizons and are in similar positions. Nasa soils have a petrogypsic horizon between 20 and 40 inches and are on fan piedmonts. Yesum soils have a gypsic horizon within 7 inches from the surface (Leptic) and are on fan piedmonts.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; runoff high; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military activities and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, giant sacaton, tobosa, vine mesquite and other shrubs. Tornado soils have high production due to run on moisture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral New Mexico, limited to the Tularosa Basin and surrounding piedmonts. MLRA 42-2. Limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Otero County, NM688, White Sands Missle Range, New Mexico, 2008. The name comes from the German multirole combat fighter based at Holloman Air Force Base.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bk1, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 4 to 63 inches (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, Bk4 and Bk5 horizons)
Vertic subgroup - linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or more to 55 inches
Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006