LOCATION ZOZOBRA NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Zozobra gravelly sandy loam--on a planar to convex shoulder sloping 9 percent to the southwest at 6,435 feet elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described, the soil was dry from the soil surface to 27 inches, slightly moist from 27 to 50 inches, and moist below 50 inches)
ABk--0 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on sand grains and on undersides of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bk1--3 to 7 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, common medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, matrix is impregnated with secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bk2--7 to 15 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bk3--15 to 24 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, common fine, and few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as many medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
2Bk4--24 to 28 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly loamy sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist, weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; common very fine irregularly shaped pores; 15 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds and on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
2Bk5--28 to 35 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few medium, few fine, and few very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine and medium irregularly shaped coats on faces of peds, rock fragments, and on very coarse sand grains; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
2Bk6--35 to 46 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few very fine irregularly shaped pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as common fine irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2Bk7--46 to 54 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 19 inches thick)
2Bk8--54 to 67 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and few very fine roots; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonate segregated as few fine irregularly shaped coats on rock fragments and very coarse sand grains; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
2C--67 to 88 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common strata of very gravelly coarse sand; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Santa Fe County, New Mexico; about 2.5 miles west of Agua Fria; 2,360 feet west and 1,025 feet south of the northeast corner of section 35, T.17N., R.8E.; USGS Agua Fria 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 35 degrees 39 minutes 53 seconds North and Longitude 106 degrees 3 minutes 40 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 ustic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 52 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon - 0 to 4 inches
Depth to lithologic discontinuity of sandy material - 20 to 40 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: granite, gneiss, and schist
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Upper part
Silicate clay content: 6 to 16 percent
Sand content: 40 to 70 percent
Fine sand to coarse sands content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragment content: 10 to 15 percent
Lower part
Silicate clay content: 2 to 8 percent
Sand content: 70 to 85 percent
Fine sand to coarse sands content: 70 to 80 percent
Rock fragment content: 10 to 30 percent
Reaction - moderately alkaline in the surface; moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline in the underlying material
Salinity, mmhos/cm - 0 to 1 in the surface and upper part of the underlying material; 0 to 2 in the lower part of the underlying material
Sodicity, SAR - 0 to 1 in the surface; 0 to 4 in the underlying material
ABk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Rock fragments: total range is 15 to 35 percent
15 to 30 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 20 percent
Bk1 and Bk2 horizons
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: loam, some pedons have texture of gravelly loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 50 percent
Bk3 horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Rock fragments: total range is 10 to 15 percent
5 to 10 percent gravel
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent; some pedons have 15 to 30 percent
Upper 2Bk horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6 moist
Texture: gravelly loamy sand, gravelly loamy coarse sand, or loamy coarse sand; some pedons have loamy sand
Rock fragments: total range is 10 to 30 percent
10 to 25 percent gravel; thin subhorizons have as much as 50 percent
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
Other features: some pedons have coats of secondary silica associated with horizons containing pumice fragments;
Lower 2Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sand, very gravelly coarse sand, or very gravelly loamy coarse sand
Rock fragments: total range is 20 to 45 percent
20 to 40 percent gravel; thin subhorizons have as much as 55 percent
0 to 5 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Other features: some pedons have buried horizons below 40 inches with texture of fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam;
2C horizon (when present)
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6, dry or moist
Texture: gravelly coarse sand, coarse sand, or sand; some pedons have strata with texture of very gravelly coarse sand or very gravelly loamy coarse sand
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zozobra soils are on shoulders of eroded fan remnants. They formed in alluvium derived from Precambrian granite, gneiss, and schist; and from Quaternary loess. Slopes are 5 to 12 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,500 to 6,800 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 Jaconita, Khapo, and Panky soils. Jaconita soils are sandy-skeletal, contain less calcium carbonate, and occur on footslopes and backslopes of eroded fan remnants. Khapo soils are coarse-loamy, have argillic horizons, and occur on toeslopes of eroded fan remnants. Panky soils are fine-loamy, have argillic horizons, and occur on summits of eroded fan remnants.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; medium surface runoff; moderate permeability in the upper part and rapid to very rapid permeability in the underlying sandy material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Zozobra soils are used for urban development, livestock grazing, and recreation. The historic climax vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, black grama, galleta, New Mexico feathergrass, twoneedle pinyon, and oneseed juniper. The ecological site is Gravelly(R036XB114NM).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Zozobra 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. Zozobra is the name of a fiesta celebrated in Santa Fe.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 3 inches (ABk horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 35 inches (ABk, Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, 2Bk4, and 2Bk5 horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy material at 24 inches. (upper boundary of 2Bk4 horizon)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of Bk2, Bk3, 2Bk4, 2Bk5, and part of 2Bk6 horizons)
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Taxonomic version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The series type location has been sampled for the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S94NM-049-004.