LOCATION WESSLY NM TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wessly sandy clay loam -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) crushed, moist; 26 percent clay; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard; violently effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.8, pH meter 1:1 water; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bk1--3 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) crushed, moist; 22 percent clay; massive; common fine roots throughout; 2 percent fine irregular carbonate masses throughout; slightly effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7, pH meter 1:1 water; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual smooth boundary.
Bk2--6 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 22 percent clay; massive; common fine roots throughout; 5 percent fine irregular carbonate masses throughout; slightly effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.5, pH meter 1:1 water; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; clear smooth boundary.
Bk3--16 to 29 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 24 percent clay; massive; common fine roots throughout; 10 percent fine threads carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.5, pH meter 1:1 water; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; gradual smooth boundary.
Bk4--29 to 46 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) crushed, sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 26 percent clay; massive; common fine roots throughout; 15 percent medium threads carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.4, pH meter 1:1 water; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bk5--46 to 64 inches; pinkish white (5YR 8/2) crushed, sandy clay loam, pink (5YR 7/3) crushed, moist; massive; common very fine roots throughout; 75 percent very coarse irregular moderately cemented carbonate masses throughout; violently effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7, pH meter 1:1 water; 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk horizon 40 to 80 inches)
Bk6--64 to 80 inches; pink (5YR 8/3) crushed, sandy clay loam, pink (5YR 7/4) crushed, moist; massive; 70 percent very coarse irregular weakly cemented carbonate masses throughout; violently effervescent, by HCl, 3 normal; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7, pH meter 1:1 water; 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent;.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; approximately 14 miles west and 16.5 miles south of Oro Grande; 2,500 feet west and 3,600 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 16, T. 25 S., R. 6 E.; USGS Newman NE topographic quadrangle; latitude 32 degrees 7 minutes 46.26 seconds north longitude 106 degrees 20 minutes 1.55 seconds west. UTM Zone 13, 0374194E, 3555382N; NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The moisture control section is usually dry in all parts more than three-fourths of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 63 to 67 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 40 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Coarse fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: less than 5 percent (less than 2 mm fraction)
A horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 0 to 5 percent gravel size fragments
Bk horizon:
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 0 to 5 percent gravel size fragments
COMPETING SERIES: These are
Mescal (AZ) and
Panor (NV) series.
The Mescal soils are on uplands with greater than 5 percent slopes and they receive more than 13 inches annual precipitation. Also they do not have segregated calcium carbonate.
The Panor soils receive 3 to 5 inches annual precipitation and have gypsum in the profile.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium
Landform: depressions on the alluvial flat of basin floors
Slope: 1 to 3 percent
Mean annual temperature: 62 to 66 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 10 inches
Precipitation pattern: precipitation falls mostly during the months of July through September. The driest months are March and April. Precipitation during the months of January, February, and March is less than 13 percent of the total.
Frost-free period: 200 to 240 days
Elevation: 3,900 to 4,200 feet
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Copia,
Foxtrot,
Hueco, and
Nations soils.
Copia soils do not have segregated carbonates and are on sand sheets on the basin floor.
Foxtrot, Hueco, and Nations soils are moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon and are on the basin floor.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type consisting of mesquite, broom snakeweed, fourwing saltbush, yucca elata, and spectaclepod.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otero County, New Mexico; 2001.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk2, Bk3, Bk4 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 7 inches. (A, Bk1, and Bk2 horizons, mixed to 7 inches)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 46 to 80 inches. (Bk5 and Bk6 horizons)
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.