LOCATION RUIDOSO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ruidoso silty clay loam, range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; noncalcareous; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2--3 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; noncalcareous; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 28 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) heavy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and old root channels; noncalcareous; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--28 to 48 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) heavy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular and subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds and lining old root channels; mostly noncalcareous but small areas occur that are weakly calcareous; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Bk--48 to 64 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few roots in upper 10 inches; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; moderately calcareous with fine irregular shaped soft masses of lime in seams; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otero County, New Mexico; about 1/4 mile south of the west side of Red Lake on the east side of a large gully that runs north and south in section 9, T.13S., R.16E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 20 to 40 inches
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry or moist.
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam or sandy clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Conchovar (NM), Irwin (KS), Knifehill (NM), Lubbock (KS), Millpaw (NM), Nutreeah (NM) and Tully (KS) series. Conchovar soils have a watertable within 60 inches. Irwin, Lubbock, and Tully soils are in LRR-H and are moist in May and June. Knifehill soils have mean annual temperatures less than 54 degrees F. Millpaw soils are moist in the winter and spring. Nutreeah soils have accumulations of soluble salts and SARs of 1 to 5.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ruidoso soils are on alluvial fans and valley slopes at elevations of 5,500 to 7,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in materials derived mostly from sedimentary and igneous rocks. The climate is semiarid continental. At the type location, the average annual precipitation is about 12 to 16 inches with a pronounced summer maximum. The average annual temperature is about 54 to 56 degrees F. The frost free season is 150 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gabaldon, Gaddes, Muzzler, Remunda, and Shanta soils. Galbaldon and Shanta soils lack an argillic horizon. Remunda soils lack a mollic epipedon 20 or more inches thick. Muzzler soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 20 inches and Gaddes soils are fine, loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for range. Small areas are cultivated. Principal native vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, ring muhly, cholla, yucca, western wheatgrass, and vine mesquite.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs 39 & 70C.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mescalero Apache Area. Otero County, New Mexico, 1970.