LOCATION YUCCA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Yucca sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
C--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) stratified sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; some lenses separated by fine granules or loose, single-grain material; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots with common and many fine and very fine roots below grass clumps; common very fine irregular pores; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 20 inches thick)
Eb--3 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots with common and many fine and very fine roots below grass clumps; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Btb--6 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loamy sand, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots with common and many fine and very fine roots below grass clumps; sand grains coated with oriented clay; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Btkb1--10 to 15 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loamy sand; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots with common and many fine and very fine roots below grass clumps; sand grains coated with oriented clay; slightly effervescent; few fine calcium carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btkb2--15 to 20 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loamy sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine, medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; sand grains coated with oriented clay; strongly effervescent; few fine calcium carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Btkb3--20 to 24 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist, lesser amount of reddish brown (5YR 5/4); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few dark insect krotovinas, 1 to 5 mm in diameter, some are horizontally elliptical and up to 2 cm in length; sand grains in the 5YR 5/4 dry material are coated with oriented clay; strongly effervescent; common fine calcium carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btkb4--24 to 28 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, 10 to 20 percent is reddish brown (5YR 5/4); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few dark insect krotovinas, 1 to 5 mm in diameter, some are horizontally elliptical and up to 2 cm in length; sand grains in the 5YR 5/4 material are coated with oriented clay; strongly effervescent; common fine calcium carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btkb5--28 to 33 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, 30 percent reddish brown (5YR 5/4); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few dark insect krotovinas, commonly 1 to 5 mm in diameter, some are horizontally elliptical and up to 2 cm in length; sand grains in 5YR 5/4 material are coated with oriented clay; strongly effervescent; common fine calcium carbonate filaments; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bkb1--33 to 40 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) sandy clay loam, pinkish gray to pink (7.5YR 7/3) moist, lesser amount of pinkish gray to light brown (7.5YR 6/3); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate occurs as very hard nodules and as soft to hard internodular material; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bkb2--40 to 62 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) sandy clay loam, some parts pinkish gray to pink (7.5YR 7/3), pinkish gray to pink (7.5YR 7/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very and extremely hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate occurs as common medium very hard and extremely hard nodules and as internodular material of similar hardness; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dona Ana County, New Mexico; SE 1/4, NE 1/4, NW 1/4 of section 17, T.20 S., R.2 E., in the Yucca exclosure on the Jornada Experimental range; 106 degrees 45 minutes 35 seconds west longitude and 32 degrees 34 minutes 28 seconds north latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July through September and December through April. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 59 to 66 degrees F.
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent in all horizons
E horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: sand, loamy sand
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist
Texture: dominantly sandy loam; some pedons have loamy sand in the upper part of the Bt and some pedons have sandy clay loam in the lower part but the control section averages sandy loam
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Calcio (CA),
Cavalry (TX), Gravesummit (CA),
Onite (NM), and
Patriot (NM).
Calcio soil contain more than 15 percent calcium carbonates equivalent.
Cavalry soils depth to calcic is 20 to 40 inches.
Gravesumit soils contain 10 to 35 percent rock fragment in the particle size control section, and contain greater than 5 percent durinodes in the particle size control section that cemented by silica.
Onite soils have the base of the argillic horizon within 20 inches of the surface
The Calcio and Gravesummit soils do not receive appreciable summer precipitation and are moist in some part of the moisture control section for less than 20 days, cumulative, between July and September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Yucca soils are on basin floors and on fan piedmonts. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Elevations range from 4,100 to 4,800 feet. The climate is arid. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 58 to 64 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 190 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berino, Onite, Hueco, Cruces, Simona and Pintura soils. Berino soils are fine-loamy. Onite soils do not have a calcic horizon. Hueco, Cruces and Simona soils have petrocalcic horizons. Pintura soils are on dunes and do not have argillic and calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapidly permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation includes dropseeds, snakeweed, mesquite and soaptree yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern New Mexico. The series is of small extent. MLRA is 42.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dona Ana County, New Mexico, (Desert Project); 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 6 inches (C, Eb horizons)
Argillic horizon - The zone from 6 to 33 inches (Btb, Btkb1, Btkb2, Btkb3, Btkb4, Btkb5 horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 33 to 44 inches (Bkb1, Bkb2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006
This series represents an identified soil in the Jornada Experimental Range near the Desert Soil-Geomorphology Project, Las Cruces, New Mexico. The project was a study of soils and geomorphology in an arid and semi-arid environment. The series is extensively referenced in many documents, publications and thesis. Revision outside the project area is discouraged in order to preserve the historical concept for research.
ADDITIONAL DATA: See S90NM-13-1 for characterization data, NSSL, Lincoln, NE.