LOCATION PATRIOT NM+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Patriot sand -- rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 4 percent clay; single grain and weak very thin platy structure; loose, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; very slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 6 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 14 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; very slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btk1--6 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) crushed, moist; 14 percent clay; weak medium prismatic and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, nonplastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; 10 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; slightly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Btk2--9 to 19 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 10 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains; 15 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Btk3--19 to 28 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) crushed, sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 16 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky and moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent distinct clay bridging between sand grains and 10 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 15 percent fine threadlike carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.4), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btk horizons is 18 to 35 inches.)
Bk1--28 to 39 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 8 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky and weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.6), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--39 to 51 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/8) crushed, moist; 6 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.7), pH meter 1:1 water; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk3--51 to 80 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) crushed, loamy sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) crushed, moist; 6 percent clay; weak medium subangular blocky and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable, soft, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent medium irregular carbonate masses throughout; strongly effervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; slightly alkaline, (pH 7.8), pH meter 1:1 water.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; approximately 5 miles east and 11.2 miles north of Oro Grande; 1,600 feet E. and 1,000 feet N. of the SW corner of Section 27, T. 29 S. , R. 9 E.; UTM zone 13, 405765E, 3600149N; NAD 27; USGS Tres Hermanos SE topographic quadrangle; latitude 32 degrees 32 minutes 18.5 seconds N. and longitude 106 degrees 0 minutes 21.1 seconds W.
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 base of argillic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the calcic horizon: 2 to 10 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
A horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Bt horizon:
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 5 or 6, dry or moist
Btk horizon:
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 5 or 6, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Bk horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 or 5 dry, 6 to 8 moist
Coarse fragments: mixed igneous fragments; 0 to 5 percent gravel size fragments
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Calcio (CA), Calvary (TX),
Gravesumit (CA),
Onite (NM), and
Yucca (NM) series.
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.
Yucca soils have 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the Bk horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian sands over alluvium
Landform: alluvial flat of the basin floor
Slope: 2 to 5 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,
Elizario,
Foxtrot,
Hueco,
Mcnew, and
Nations soils.
Copia soils do not have argillic horizons and are on sand sheets on the basin floor.
Elizario soils have calcic horizons at depths greater than 20 inches and are on slightly depressed alluvial flats of 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 rapid. Runoff is very low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing. Vegetation is of the desert shrub type consisting of mesa dropseed, spike dropseed, sand dropseed, threeawns, sand sage, broom snakeweed, fourwing saltbush, and mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas and southern New Mexico; LRR D, MLRA 42; small extent.
MLRA OFFICE 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 3 to 23 inches. (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 7 inches. (A, Bt, and Btk1 horizons, mixed to 7 inches)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 3 to 28 inches. (Bt, Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 6 to 28 inches. (Btk1, Btk2, and Btk3 horizons)
The assignment of the cation exchange capacity is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.