LOCATION WAUMAC NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Waumac loamy sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
C1--3 to 31 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 45 inches thick)
C2--31 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sandoval County, New Mexico; one-half mile south of the Cochiti Indian Pueblo, along Indian Highway 85 and 100 yards east of the highway; 100 feet west and 1,070 feet north of the southwest corner of section 24, T. 16 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through September. The soil is driest during May and June. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Particle-size Control Section - Rock Fragments: Mostly pebble-sized, 0 to 35 percent, but weighted average is less than 15 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: Loamy sand or loamy fine sand
C horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Sandy loam, fine sandy loam and gravelly fine sandy loam
In some pedons: Thin strata of loamy sand and coarse sandy loam. In some pedons: Noncalcareous to depths of 18 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashollow (NE), Lindrith (NM), Otero (CO) and Pithchdraw (WY) series. Ashollow, Otero and Pitchdraw soils are in the Western Great Plains and Irrigated Region (LRR-G) and Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region (LRR-H) and are moist in May and June. Lindrith soils have soil temperatures less than 52 degrees F. and are moist for longer periods during the winter.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Waumac soils are on valley floors and footslopes and have slopes of 1 to 20 percent. They formed in alluvium derived from sandstone and igneous sources. Elevations range from 5,200 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches and the mean annual temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 110 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cucho (T), Flugle, Fragua (T), Piedra (P), Royosa, and Vessilla series. The Cucho soil is moderately deep to shale. The Flugle and Fragua soils have argillic horizons. Piedra soils are sandy-skeletal. Vessilla soils are shallow to sandstone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Waumac soils are used for livestock grazing. Principal vegetation is blue grama, black grama, hairy grama, sand dropseed and ring muhly with oneseed juniper and scattered pinyon.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sandoval County, New Mexico; 1987. Waumac is coined. Alternate coined names are Lenank and Chuack.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric Epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon).
Entisol Feature - The lack of diagnostic horizons (C1, C2 horizons).
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
Reclassified from a Typic subgroup to an Aridic subgroup in 2007. The change was made to be consistent with the assigned moisture regime.
Waumac and Lindrith series may not adequately compete. Consideration should be given to the need for both these series.