LOCATION VITRINA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Vitrina gravelly coarse sandy loam--on a toeslope of a eroded fan remnant sloping 11 percent to the northwest at 6,095 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry throughout.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, common fine, and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; common faint clay bridges between sand grains; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btk--16 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bk--26 to 41 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 22 inches thick)
BCk--41 to 53 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 24 inches thick)
Bkb--53 to 61 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
BCkb1--61 to 75 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
BCkb2--75 to 98 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) very gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
Cb--98 to 110 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few lenses of very gravelly loamy coarse sand; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 4.5 miles west-northwest of Las Dos; 750 feet west and 910 feet north of the southeast corner of section 20, T.18N., R.8E.; USGS Horcado Ranch 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 46 minutes 17 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 6 minutes 34 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from July to October and December to March. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 10 to 19 inches
Depth to calcareous material - 10 to 19 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 18 to 34 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: granite, gneiss, and schist
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Sand content: 55 to 70 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 50 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content: 15 to 35 percent gravel
Organic matter content - 1 to 4 percent in the mollic epipedon
Reaction - neutral in the surface; neutral to slightly alkaline in the upper part of the subsoil; moderately alkaline in the lower part of the subsoil and in the upper part of the substratum; moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the lower part of the substratum.
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 1 in the surface, subsoil, and upper part of the substratum; 0 to 4 in the lower part of the substratum
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1 in the surface, subsoil, and upper part of the substratum; 0 to 4 in the lower part of the substratum
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel
Bt horizons
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel
Btk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam; some pedons have texture of gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Rock fragments: 20 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Bk horizon (not in all pedons)
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam; some pedons have texture of very gravelly coarse sandy loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 8 percent
BCk and Bkb horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy loam, gravelly coarse sandy loam, or very gravelly coarse sandy loam; some pedons have texture of very gravelly loamy coarse sand
Rock fragments: 25 to 50 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Julesburg, Latierra, Mainter, Manter, Mawer, Torrington (T), and Truckton series. Julesburg, Manter, Mainter, Mawer, Torrington, and Truckton soils all average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and the solum. In addition, Julesburg, Manter, and Mawer soils have sola that do not have a significant amount of medium to very coarse angular granitic sands; Torrington soils are moderately deep to soft bedrock; and Truckton soils are noncalcareous to depths of more than 60 inches. Latierra and Mainter soils have an ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vitrina soils are on toeslopes of eroded fan remnants. They formed in alluvium derived from Precambrian granite, gneiss, and schist. Slopes are 5 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,400 to 6,600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Golondrina and Haozous soils. Golondrina soils are loamy-skeletal and formed in colluvium on adjacent backslopes of eroded fan remnants. Haozous soils have recent alluvial mantles over thick mollic epipedons and occur on adjacent, frequently flooded inset fans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Vitrina soils are used for urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, black grama, oak, galleta, and oneseed juniper. The ecological site is Hills(R036XB124NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Vitrina soils are of small extent on the southeastern Espanola Basin part of the Basin and Range province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2008. Vitrina is a coined name.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 16 inches. (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 3 to about 26 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 23 inches (Bt1, Bt2, part of Btk horizon)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.