LOCATION HERMES NMTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, thermic Leptic Haplogypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Hermes loam -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) crushed, loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) crushed, moist; 35 percent sand; 45 percent silt; 20 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure, and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; brittle; many very fine roots throughout; very fine low continuity irregular pores; 2 percent fine carbonate masses; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, 9 percent gypsum; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary.
By1--3 to 13 inches; white (10YR 8/1) crushed, gypsiferous sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) crushed, moist; porphoritic; very friable, hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots throughout; fine moderate continuity irregular pores; 90 percent fine distinct gypsum crystals; 73 percent gypsum; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary.
By2--13 to 23 inches; white (10YR 8/1) crushed, gypsiferous sand, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) crushed, moist; porphoritic; very friable, hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots throughout; medium low continuity irregular pores; 90 percent fine distinct gypsum crystals; 87 percent gypsum; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary.
Cy1--23 to 35 inches; 95 percent white (2.5Y 8/1) crushed and 5 percent white (10YR 8/1) crushed, gypsiferous sandy loam, 95 percent pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) crushed and 5 percent light gray (10YR 7/2) crushed, moist; massive; rigid, rigid, nonsticky, nonplastic; 90 percent fine gypsum crystals; 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, 96 percent gypsum; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); diffuse smooth boundary.
Cy2--35 to 50 inches; 95 percent white (2.5Y 8/1) crushed, gypsiferous sandy loam, 95 percent pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) crushed, moist; massive; rigid, rigid, nonsticky, nonplastic; 90 percent fine distinct gypsum crystals; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, 92 percent gypsum; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary.
Cy3--50 to 65 inches; 95 percent pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) crushed, gypsiferous sand, 95 percent light gray (2.5Y 7/2) crushed, moist; massive; rigid, moderately hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; 90 percent fine distinct gypsum crystals; 73 percent gypsum; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico. Approximately 7.2 miles East and 7 miles North of White Sands Missile Range Headquarters; 1152 feet South and 110 feet East of the Southwest corner of Section 17, Township 21 South, Range 6 East; USGS topographic quadrangle White Sands NE, NAD83; 32 degrees 28 minutes 53.17 seconds North latitude and 106 degrees 21 minutes 24.32 seconds West longitude; UTM 372,516 meters East, 3594,612 meters North, zone 13.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic aridic soil moisture regime. 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.
Mean annual soil temperature: 63 to 67 degrees F.
Depth to gypsic horizon: 0 to 4 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Coarse fragment content: 0 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none
By horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 7 to 8 dry, 6 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none
Gypsum percentage: 70 to 90 percent
Cy horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 7 to 8 dry, 6 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Coarse fragments: none
Gypsum percentage: 70 to 90 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bracken (NV),
Peligro (NM),
Whitebasin (NV), and
Yesum (NV) series.
Bracken soils are deep to a paralithic contact and are in the
Mohave Desert (MLRA30) and receive a greater proportion of precipitation in the winter.
Peligro soils formed in eolian gypsiferous sediments on lunettes or parna dunes on basin floors.
Whitebasin soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact and are in the Mohave Desert (MLRA30) and receive a greater proportion of precipitation in the winter.
Yesum soils formed in alluvial and eolian gypsiferous deposits on bajadas, basin floors, and alluvial fan terraces.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Parent material: gypsiferous lacustrine deposits
Landform: relict lakebeds on basin floors
Slope: 0 to 2 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 250 days
Elevation: 3,970 to 3,990 feet
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Basso,
Copia,
Elizario,
Jato,
Loki,
Mcnew,
Talos and the competing
Peligro soils.
Basso and Talos soils have argillic horizons and calcic horizons.
Copia soils are sandy and are on coppice dunes.
Elizario and Mcnew soils have calcic horizons and are on slightly depressed and slightly higher positions respectively of the alluvial flat of the basin floor.
Jato and Loki soils have calcic horizons above the gypsic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for military exercises and weapons testing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type and consists of gyp dropseed, hairy crinklemat, Torreys joint fir, gyp monopod, 4 wing saltbush, mesquite, and gyp scorpionweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Update Soil Survey of White Sands Missile Range; Otero County, New Mexico; 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (By1, By2, and Cy1, and Cy2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Gypsic horizon: The zone from 3 to 65 inches. (By1, By2, Cy1, Cy2, and Cy3 horizons)
Hermes: Hermes was the Greek god of shepherds. In the early 1950s, Hermes was tested at White Sands Missile Range as a surface to surface ballistic missile that later became the Redstone missile.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003