LOCATION ZARMAND NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, carbonatic, mesic Aridic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Zarmand extremely channery fine sandy loam--on a beveled summit of a hill sloping 13 percent to the southeast (220 degrees) at 7,545 feet elevation-pinyon-juniper forestland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry throughout.)
Ak--0 to 1 inch; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely channery fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and common very fine roots; few fine and few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 50 percent channers, 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium and large irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments; 31 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
ABk--1 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and also disseminated in matrix; 42 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 17 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; 10 percent paragravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common large irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and also disseminated in matrix; 58 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
2Bk2--17 to 24 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) paragravelly loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; 20 percent paragravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and also disseminated in matrix; 51 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 18 inches thick)
2Crk--24 to 29 inches; moderately cemented weathered limestone bedrock; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on pararock fragments and as few large indurated concretions.
2R--29 inches; indurated limestone bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 2.5 miles east-northeast of Santa Fe; 1500 feet south and 900 feet west of the northeast corner of section 20, T.17N., R.10E.; USGS Santa Fe 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 41 minutes 33 seconds North and Longitude 105 degrees 53 minutes 47 seconds West, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture control section is moist in all parts during the 60 days following the winter solstice. It is moist in some part less than 40 percent and moist in all parts less than 25 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. The soils are driest in May and June. The soil moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 50 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 9 to 12 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 8 to 13 inches
Depth to paralithic contact - 22 to 34 inches
Depth to lithic contact - 20 to 40 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: limestone
Salinity, mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Sodicity, SAR: 0 to 4
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Silicate clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 45 to 65 percent
Fine sand or coarser content: 35 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content: 5 to 20 percent gravel
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 60 to 80 percent
45 to 50 percent channers
10 to 20 percent gravel
5 to 10 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent stones
ABk horizon
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 15 to 30 percent
15 to 25 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Bk horizon
Value: 7 or 8 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content: total range is 15 to 30 percent, mostly gravel
Paragravel content: 5 to 10 percent in some pedons
2Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: paragravelly loam, paragravelly fine sandy loam, or paragravelly sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 65 percent
Pararock fragment content: total range is 15 to 35 percent, mostly paragravel
Gravel content: 0 to 5 percent in some pedons
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family. The Guy series, in a closely related family, is not calcareous throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zarmand soils are on beveled summits of hills. They formed in alluvium derived from Pennsylvanian Age limestone and sandstone over residuum weathered from limestone. Slopes are 5 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,200 to 8,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches with about 45 percent falling as rain from high-intensity convective thunderstorms between July and September. The mean annual air temperature is 46 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Legate and Yohalem soils. Legate soils are loamy-skeletal, have a lithic contact within 20 inches, and occur on backslopes of hills. Yohalem soils are clayey, have a paralithic contact within 20 inches, and occur on backslopes of shale hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium surface runoff; permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Zarmand soils are used for urban development, cord wood products, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, eriogonum, Bigelow's rubber rabbitbrush, oneseed juniper, twoneedle pinyon. The ecological site is Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma/Cercocarpus montanus-Chrysothamnus nauseosus/Bouteloua gracilis (F036XB135NM)..
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Zarmand soils are of small extent on the southwestern Sangre de Cristo part of the Southern Rocky Mountains province in northcentral New Mexico. The MLRA is 49.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; Santa Fe Area Soil Survey Update; 2008. Zarmand 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 9 inches. (Ak and ABk horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 9 to 24 inches. (Bk1 and 2Bk2 horizons). The upper boundary was placed at 9 inches because the most significant increase in carbonate content was judged to be at that depth.
Paralithic contact - Moderately cemented limestone bedrock at 24 inches. (2Crk layer)
Lithic contact - Indurated limestone bedrock at 29 inches. (2R layer)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 24 inches (part of Bk1, Bk2 horizons)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 29 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006..
ADDITIONAL DATA: Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a calcimeter.