LOCATION TULAROSA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Tularosa silty clay loam, range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 9 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) rubbed; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--9 to 31 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) rubbed; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C--31 to 60 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) stratified clay and clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots to 40 inches; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly calcareous in spots; neutral. (15 to 30 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; SW corner of NE1/4 section 16, T.15S., R.13E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 16 to 50 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 37 to 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture: These soils are usually moist in the 4 to 12 inch section with the driest period occurring between April and June. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Texture: loam, silty clay loam, and clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Organic matter: 3 to 10 percent
Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
C horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry or moist.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Grassna (ND), Makoti (ND), and Wilton (ND) series. These soils are in LRR-F Northern Great Plains Spring Wheat Region and are moist in the period between April and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Tularosa soils are on nearly level to moderately steep alluvial fans on valley floors at elevations of 7,700 to 9,500 feet. The soil formed in material weathered from mixed sedimentary and igneous rocks. These soils occur in moist subhumid climate. The mean annual precipitation is about 20 to 24 inches with a maximum falling as late winter snows and late summer rains. The mean annual temperature is about 35 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Caballo, Peso soils and the competing Telefono soils. Caballo and Peso soils have a loamy, skeletal control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native range, pasture, scattered woodland, recreation, and wildlife. Principal native vegetation is blue grama, mountain brome, mountain muhly, sleepy grass, fescue, scattered white fir, Douglas fir, and ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of south, central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 39.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County (Mescalero Apache Area), New Mexico, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 31 inches (A and Bw horizons)
Pachic subgroup - The presence of a mollic epipedon that is greater than 16 inches thick.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.