Soil Survey of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
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United States In cooperation Department of with the Soil Survey of Agriculture United States Department of Guadalupe Mountains Natural Interior Resources National Park Conservation Service, National Park, Texas Service and National Park Texas Service AgriLife Research How To Use This Soil Survey General Soil Map The general soil map, which is a color map, shows the survey area divided into groups of associated soils called general soil map units. This map is useful in planning the use and management of large areas. To find information about your area of interest, locate that area on the map, identify the name of the map unit in the area on the color-coded map legend, then refer to the section General Soil Map Units for a general description of the soils in your area. Detailed Soil Maps The detailed soil maps can be useful in planning the use and management of small areas. To find information about your area of interest, locate that area on the Index to Map Sheets. Locate your area of interest on the map sheet. Note the map unit symbols that are in that area. Go to the Contents, which lists the map units by symbol and name and shows the page where each map unit is described. The Contents shows which table has data on a specific land use for each detailed soil map unit. Also see the Contents for sections of this publication that may address your specific needs. iii This soil survey is a publication of the National Cooperative Soil Survey, a joint effort of the United States Department of Agriculture and other Federal agencies, State agencies including Texas AgriLife Research, and local agencies. The Natural Resources Conservation Service has leadership for the Federal part of the National Cooperative Soil Survey. Major fieldwork for this soil survey was completed in 2010. Soil names and descriptions were approved in 2010. Unless otherwise indicated, statements in this publication refer to conditions in the survey area in 2010. This survey was made cooperatively by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Texas AgriLife Research. The survey is part of the technical assistance furnished to the National Park Service, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Unit. The proper citation for this soil survey report is as follows: United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 2010. Soil Survey of Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. Soil maps in this survey may be copied without permission. Enlargement of these maps, however, could cause misunderstanding of the detail of mapping. If enlarged, maps do not show the small areas of contrasting soils that could have been shown at a larger scale. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795- 3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Cover: The cover depicts a typical area of Pinery, Choza, and Altuda soils, 5 to 60 percent slopes, very rocky, on the alluvial fan remnants of the front range in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Lostpeak-Rock outcrop complex, 40 to 95 percent slopes is on the very steep slopes above the fans. El Capitan Peak is in the background and Manzanita Spring is in the foreground. Additional information about the Nation’s natural resources is available on the Natural Resources Conservation Service homepage on the World Wide Web. The address is http://www.nrcs.usda.gov iv Contents How To Use This Soil Survey ............................................................................... i Foreword ............................................................................................................. vii General Nature of the Survey Area .................................................................. 1 History ......................................................................................................... 2 Agriculture ................................................................................................... 3 Climate ........................................................................................................ 4 How This Survey Was Made ............................................................................ 8 General Soil Map Units ...................................................................................... 11 Soils of the Desert Grassland Vegetative Zone .............................................. 11 1. Chilicotal-Bissett-Chispa-Tenneco ........................................................ 11 Soils of the Desert Shrub Vegetative Zone .................................................... 12 2. Monahans-Corvus-Peligro .................................................................... 13 Soils of the Mixed Conifer Forest Vegetative Zone ........................................ 14 3. Victorio-Lozen-Rock outcrop ................................................................. 14 Soils of the Mixed Prairie Vegetative Zone ..................................................... 14 4. Bonespring-Pinery-Choza-Altuda ......................................................... 16 Soils of the Mountain Savannas Vegetative Zone .......................................... 16 5. Biduya-Desario-Lazarus ....................................................................... 16 Soils of the Mountain Shrub Vegetative Zone ................................................ 17 6. Lostpeak-Rock outcrop ......................................................................... 17 Soils of the Riparian Woodland Vegetative Zone ........................................... 17 7. McKittrick-Riverwash ............................................................................. 18 Detailed Soil Map Units ...................................................................................... 19 BDG—Biduya-Desario-Rock outcrop complex, 10 to 50 percent slopes ....... 20 BRG—Bissett-Rock outcrop complex, 15 to 60 percent slopes ..................... 23 BSG—Bonespring-Rock outcrop complex, 10 to 60 percent slopes .............. 25 CAD—Chispa-Tenneco complex, 2 to 9 percent slopes ................................ 27 CCD—Chilicotal-Chispa complex, 3 to 13 percent slopes ............................. 29 COC—Copia loamy fine sand, 2 to 7 percent slopes ..................................... 31 CPB—Corvus-Peligro complex, 1 to 5 percent slopes ................................... 33 LAD—Lazarus loam, 2 to 9 percent slopes .................................................... 35 LPC—Lark-Peligro complex, 1 to 8 percent slopes ........................................ 37 LRH—Lostpeak-Rock outcrop complex, 40 to 95 percent slopes .................. 39 MCB—McKittrick-Riverwash complex, flooded, 0 to 3 percent slopes ........... 41 MPB—Monahans-Pajarito complex, 0 to 5 percent slopes ............................ 44 PCG—Pinery, Choza, and Altuda soils, 5 to 60 percent slopes, very rocky .................................................................................................. 47 VLG—Victorio-Lozen-Rock outcrop complex, 10 to 60 percent slopes ......... 50 VLH—Victorio-Lozen-Rock outcrop complex, 40 to 95 percent slopes .......... 53 Prime Farmland .................................................................................................. 57 Use and Management of the Soils .................................................................... 59 Interpretive Ratings ......................................................................................... 59 Rating Class Terms ................................................................................... 59 Numerical Ratings ..................................................................................... 59 Land Management .......................................................................................... 60 Land Capability Classification ......................................................................... 61 Ecological Site Descriptions for Guadalupe Mountains National Park ........... 62 v General Description of Vegetation ............................................................ 63 Description of Rangeland and Annual Production Tables ........................ 65 Forest Productivity and Management ....................................................... 65 Rangeland and Forestland Ecological Sites ............................................. 66 LRR D, MLRA 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains .......................................................................................... 66 R042XB011NM—Deep Sand .......................................................... 66 R042XB007NM—Gyp Outcrop ....................................................... 67 R042XB006NM—Gyp Upland ........................................................