Major Land Resource Area 077A
Southern High Plains, Northern Part
Accessed: 04/30/2025
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Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Fine soils with formed in calcareous loess with well-developed subsoils (argillic horizon) and clay loam, silty clay loam, and silt loam surface textures. Site is very deep, well drained, moderately slowly to very slowly permeable soils on plains and interfluves
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site that receives significant additional moisture from runoff of adjacent slopes or intermittent/perennial streams or a water table
- Soils with greater than 18% and less than 35% clay in the subsoil. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on draws adjacent to uplands, on smaller drainageways without a defined flood plain
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Fine-silty soils formed in calcareous silty parna with weakly developed subsoils (argillic horizons) in the subsoil, and with highly calcareous subsoils (calcic horizons) within 100 cm (40 in) of the soil surface. Site is very deep, well drained, and moderately permeable and occurs on parna dunes
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site that receives significant additional moisture from runoff of adjacent slopes or intermittent/perennial streams or a water table
- Fine-textured soils with high shrink swell and wetness features (redoximorphic features) in the upper part of the soil. Site occurs in dips and swales that accumulate additional moisture into closed depressions with potential or apparent ponding. Site is very deep, with poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils on playas
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Coarse-loamy soils formed in calcareous mixed eolian deposits with highly calcareous subsoils (calcic horizons) within 100 cm (40 in) of the soil surface. Site is moderately deep to very deep, well drained, and moderately to slowly permeable soils on plains and interfluves
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Soils with a surface texture of loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand that have little or no subsoil accumulation of clay (no argillic horizon). Site is very deep with excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils on dunes
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Soils with a surface texture of sandy loam or fine sandy loam and a well-developed subsoil (argillic horizon) of sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on sand sheets
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Loamy soils with depth to restrictive layer of very shallow (<25 cm (<10 in)) or shallow (25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in)) over petrocalcic. Site is very shallow, well drained, and with moderately permeable soils on plains and interfluves
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Fine-silty and fine-loamy soils formed in calcareous loess and loamy eolian deposits with well-developed subsoils (argillic horizon) and loam or silt loam surface textures. Site is very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on plains and interfluves
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i
Key Characteristics
- Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
- Soils with a surface texture of loamy sand or loamy fine sand, and a well-developed and a well-developed subsoil (argillic horizon) of sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on sand sheets and low dunes
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Zoom in to display soil survey map units for an area of interest, and zoom out to display MLRAs. Select a map unit polygon to view ecological sites correlated to that map unit. View a brief description of an ecological site by clicking on its name in the map popup. Soil survey correlations may not be accurate, and ecological site classification of a location should always be verified in the field. Each selection may require the transfer of several hundred KB of data.
Ecological site keys
MLRA 77A ES Key
I.
Site that receives significant additional moisture from runoff of adjacent slopes or intermittent/perennial streams or a water table
A.
Fine-textured soils with high shrink swell and wetness features (redoximorphic features) in the upper part of the soil. Site occurs in dips and swales that accumulate additional moisture into closed depressions with potential or apparent ponding. Site is very deep, with poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils on playas
... R077AY005TX – Playa 16-22" PZ
B.
Soils with greater than 18% and less than 35% clay in the subsoil. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on draws adjacent to uplands, on smaller drainageways without a defined flood plain
... R077AY002TX – Draw 16-22" PZ
II.
Site does NOT receive additional moisture from runoff
A.
Loamy soils with depth to restrictive layer of very shallow (<25 cm (<10 in)) or shallow (25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in)) over petrocalcic. Site is very shallow, well drained, and with moderately permeable soils on plains and interfluves
... R077AY013TX – Very Shallow 16-22" PZ
B.
Coarse-loamy soils formed in calcareous mixed eolian deposits with highly calcareous subsoils (calcic horizons) within 100 cm (40 in) of the soil surface. Site is moderately deep to very deep, well drained, and moderately to slowly permeable soils on plains and interfluves
... R077AY006TX – Limy Upland 16-22" PZ
C.
Fine-silty soils formed in calcareous silty parna with weakly developed subsoils (argillic horizons) in the subsoil, and with highly calcareous subsoils (calcic horizons) within 100 cm (40 in) of the soil surface. Site is very deep, well drained, and moderately permeable and occurs on parna dunes
... R077AY004OK – Parna Dune 16-22" PZ
D.
Fine-silty and fine-loamy soils formed in calcareous loess and loamy eolian deposits with well-developed subsoils (argillic horizon) and loam or silt loam surface textures. Site is very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on plains and interfluves
... R077AY015KS – Loamy Upland 16-22" PZ
E.
Fine soils with formed in calcareous loess with well-developed subsoils (argillic horizon) and clay loam, silty clay loam, and silt loam surface textures. Site is very deep, well drained, moderately slowly to very slowly permeable soils on plains and interfluves
... R077AY001TX – Deep Hardland 16-22" PZ
F.
Soils with a surface texture of sandy loam or fine sandy loam and a well-developed subsoil (argillic horizon) of sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on sand sheets
... R077AY012TX – Sandy Loam 16-22" PZ
G.
Soils with a surface texture of loamy sand or loamy fine sand, and a well-developed and a well-developed subsoil (argillic horizon) of sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or clay loam. Site is very deep with well drained, moderately permeable soils on sand sheets and low dunes
... R077AY666TX – Sandy 16-22" PZ
H.
Soils with a surface texture of loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand that have little or no subsoil accumulation of clay (no argillic horizon). Site is very deep with excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils on dunes
... R077AY011TX – Sand Hills 16-22" PZ
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The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.
