LOCATION VEGOCITO                NM

Tentative Series
Rev. AJM
06/2022

VEGOCITO SERIES

The Vegocito series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly or moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium or slope alluvium derived from stream deposits formed on Cretaceous bedrock plateau. Vegocito soils occur along stream terraces within plateau river valleys. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 410 mm and mean annual soil temperature is about 11.7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: In a polygon of the mapunit: Vegocito and Gallinas soils, stream terraces; rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 in.); very dark brown (10YR 2/2), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), dry; 35 percent sand; 28 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure parts to strong medium granular structure; friable, soft, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common and many very fine interstitial pores; 1 percent gravel; noneffervescent; ; clear smooth boundary.

Bt--15 to 40 centimeters (6 to 20 in.); dark brown (10YR 3/3), brown (10YR 4/3), dry; 30 percent sand; 38 percent clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parts to strong medium subangular blocky structure; friable, very hard, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots and common very fine roots; common fine interstitial and common medium tubular pores; 70 percent prominent clay films on all faces of peds; 1 percent gravel; noneffervescent; gradual smooth boundary.

Btk--40 to 80 centimeters (20 to 31 in.); dark brown (10YR 3/3), brown (10YR 4/3), dry; 30 percent sand; 37 percent clay; moderate medium prismatic structure parts to strong medium angular blocky structure; friable, very hard, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots and common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 60 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 2 percent fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), dry, and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 10 percent medium threadlike carbonate masses lining pores; 1 percent gravel; slight effervescence; gradual smooth boundary.

Btk--80 to 135 centimeters (31 to 53 in.); dark brown (10YR 3/3), pale brown (10YR 6/3), dry; 35 percent sand; 30 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, very hard, moderately sticky, very plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 40 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 5 percent fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), dry, and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 40 percent coarse irregular carbonate masses throughout; 1 percent gravel; violent effervescence; clear smooth boundary.

BCkg--135 to 175 centimeters (53 to 69 in.); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), grayish brown (10YR 5/2), dry; 20 percent sand; 28 percent clay; structureless massive structure; friable, moderately hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; 35 percent medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), dry, and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; 5 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses lining pores and 5 percent fine irregular mica flakes, mixed in matrix; 1 percent gravel; violent effervescence; gradual wavy boundary.

C--175 to 200 centimeters (69 to 79 in.); 35 percent sand; 27 percent clay; structureless massive structure; friable, moderately hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; 5 percent fine irregular mica flakes, mixed in matrix; 10 percent gravels and 15 percent cobbles; violent effervescence.

TYPE LOCATION: Mora County, New Mexico; about of a mile NW from the town of Watrous; Lat-Lon: 35.799, -104.991 at 1959m elevation

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Vegocito soils have a mesic sol temperature regime and an aridic-ustic soil moisture regime receiving most of their precipitation during the months of May through September.
Mollic epipedon: more than 20 inches (50cm) thick
Particle-size control section: 35 to 55 percent clay, 0 to 10 percent fragments
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent from 0 to 25cm (0 to 10 in.), less than 15 percent in any horizon below
Other features: Buried A, or C horizons (stratified layers with high amounts of sands and gravels) may occur below 100 cm depth in some pedons.
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR; Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, gravelly loam or gravelly sandy clay loam.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Thickness: 10 to 25 cm

Bt horizons - Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR; Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Thickness: 20 to 75 cm

Btk horizons - Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR; Value: 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Thickness: 45 to 90 cm

C horizon - Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR; Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, fine sandy loam, or gravelly loamy sand.
Thickness: 40 to 80 cm

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Balko(MLRA 77E), Conchovar(MLRA 35), Irwin(MLRAs 74, 76, and 112), Knifehill(MLRA 35), Lubbock(MLRA 72), Millpaw(MLRA 35), Nutreeah(MLRA 35), Ruidoso(MLRAs 38 and 39), and Tully(MLRA 76) series.
Balko soils formed in calcareous loess and are warmer (12.8 to 13.9 oC MAAT) and wetter (432 to 584 mm MAP).
Conchovar and Knifehill soils are drier (330-406 mm MAP) with fewer frost free days (100 to 135) with Conchovar hues ranging from 2.5Y to 5YR.
Irwin, Lubbock, and Tully soils have a typic-ustic soil moisture regime with Irwin bordering on Udic.
Millpaw, Nutreeah and Ruidoso soils are drier (304-406 mm MAP) and do not receive the bulk of their growing season moisture until July.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Vegocito soils occur on lower stream terraces of plateau river valleys and formed from floodplain alluvial deposits with a fining-upward sequence and some minor amount of loess deposits at the surface. Most of these terrace positions are on landforms old enough to have a developed argillic horizon, but young enough to still have a stratified layer within 200 cm depth that includes sandy or gravelly alluvial materials. Unlike floodplains, these soils are not naturally subirrigated. These terraces can often be identified by their accessibility to flood irrigation ditch networks, whereas older stream terraces are not (this is a guide, not a rule).
Slope range: from 0 to 3 percent but can be as high as 8 percent along terrace risers.
Mean annual precipitation: from 381 to 457 mm (15 to 18 inches)
Mean annual soil temperature from 9.4 to 14.4 degrees C (49 to 58 degrees F)
Mean annual air temperature: from 8.3 to 12.8 degrees C (47 to 57 degrees F.)
The frost-free season: from 130 to 175 days
Elevation: from 1676 to 2286 m (5,500 to 7,500 feet)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gallinas and Philmont series of MLRA 70A. The Gallinas soils are on stream terraces of riparian systems and have a fine loamy family texture class. Philmont soils are on upland landforms and its mollic epipedon is less than 50cm thick.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent and very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Water table can be present in stratified zone below 100 cm in some terraces (younger-lower). Also, varied amounts of saturation can be induced in some horizons, usually above or below the contact with coarser stratified layers, from flood irrigation waters.

USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is for dryland and irrigated cropland and pasture. Present vegetation is blue grama, western wheatgrass, vine mesquite, alkali sacaton, arctic rush, buffalograss and minor amounts of fourwing saltbush and cacti. This series is correlated to the Low Terraces ecosite GX070A01X012.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern New Mexico, LRR G, in MLRA 70A along the Canadian Plateaus of the Southwestern Great Plains; LRU 70A.1 (Canadian Plateaus). The series is of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mora County, New Mexico, 2020. The name "Vegocito" comes from Canyon Vegocito, east of Valmora. It translates from "a little bit" in Spanish.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon (pachic) - (A and Bt horizons) 0 to 80 cm (0 to 3 inches).
Argillic horizon - (Bt and Btk horizons)15 to 135 cm (6 to 53 in.)
Secondary carbonates - (Btk, BCkg, and C horizons) 40 to 200 (15 to 79 inches)

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Pedon ID: S2020NM033001
KSSL Lab Pedon #: 20N0584

This soil was formerly correlated to the La Brier series but was updated to reflect the differing characteristics of their corresponding soil-landform characteristics.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Twelfth Edition, 2014.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.