LOCATION TRANSFORMER NM
Established Series
GWC
01/2015
TRANSFORMER SERIES
The Transformer series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in sandy gypsiferous eolian deposits. These nearly level soils are on interdunes on dune fields. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 64 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Hypergypsic, thermic Oxyaquic Torripsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Transformer gypsiferous sand rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Ayyz--0 to 2 inches (0 to 5 cm); white (2.5Y 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, white (2.5Y 9/1), moist; 1 percent clay; weak thin platy and weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium and few very fine roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 97 percent gypsum; strongly alkaline, pH 8.5; electrical conductivity 17.9 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Cyyz1--2 to 16 inches (5 to 40 cm); white (2.5Y 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, white (2.5Y 9/1), moist; 1 percent clay; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and medium roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 98 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; electrical conductivity 18.2 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; gradual smooth boundary.
Cyyz2--16 to 24 inches (40 to 60 cm); white (2.5Y 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, white (2.5Y 9/1), moist; 1 percent clay; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 99 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; electrical conductivity 17.8 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline; gradual smooth boundary.
Cyyz3--24 to 79 inches (60 to 200 cm); white (2.5Y 9.5/1) gypsiferous sand, white (2.5Y 9/1), moist; 1 percent clay; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; many fine irregular gypsum crystals throughout; noneffervescent, 97 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; electrical conductivity 18.1 dS/m (mmhos/cm); strongly saline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 13.31 miles east and 1.6 miles north of the junction of Range Roads 7 and 10; USGS Quad, Heart of the Sands NE; Latitude: 32 degrees 53 minutes 37.55 seconds north Longitude: 106 degrees 15 minutes 49.94 seconds west, NAD 83; UTM Easting: 381789 meters UTM Northing: 3640218 meters. UTM zone 13.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Aquic Conditions: water table ranges from 30 to 40 inches in most years
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: slightly to strongly alkaline
Salinity: moderately to strongly saline
Gypsum content: 90 to 100 percent
Ayz horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 7 to 9.5 dry, 6 to 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous coarse sand
Cyz horizons
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 8 to 9.5 dry, 7 to 9 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous sand, gypsiferous fine sand, gypsiferous coarse sand, gypsiferous loamy sand, gypsiferous sandy loam
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Transformer soils are on interdunes on dune fields. Slope is 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed from sandy gypsiferous eolian deposits. Elevation ranges from 3,900 to 4,040 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Precipitation falls in all months as gentle winter storms and with increased amounts during high intensity summer storms. 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
Lark (NM) and
Astrobee (NM) series. Lark soils are on dunes and do not have oxyaquic conditions. Astrobee soils are on interdunes and low dunes and have strongly cemented gypsum masses in the control sections and do not have oxyaquic conditions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very low runoff; very rapid permeability. A water table is present at depth of 20 to 40 inches during all seasons.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are military exercises and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is alkali sacaton, gypsum grama, New Mexico bluestem, Indian ricegrass, Torrey's ephedra, and rosemary mint.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico, limited to the gypsum dune fields of the Tularosa Basin. MLRA 42, Transformer is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: White Sands Missile Range, Otero County, New Mexico, 2014. The name Transformer is derived from the Transformer movie that was partially filmed on White Sands Missile Range.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Cyyz1, Cyyz2, and Cyyz3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon- the zone from 0 to 2 inches (Ayyz horizon)
Endosaturation- the zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.