Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Major Land Resource Area 053B
Major Land Resource Area
Accessed: 04/24/2026
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Next, learn more about the selected ecological site and its characteristic dynamics by browsing the ecological site description and exploring alternative state and transition model formats.
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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.
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Ecological sites
Major Land Resource Areas
Ecological site photos
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interactive key
precipitation
frost free days
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Precipitation
Frost free days
Elevation
Slope
Landform
Parent material origin
Parent material kind
Soil texture
The sites have a water table <42 inches and occur in run-in positions on the landscape.
Soil depth is <20 inches to bedrock or sand and gravel (>15% gravel)
Sand content is >45% in soil surface texture
Clay Content is >35% in soil surface texture
All others
EC >8 and/or visible salts in the soil profile and typically, redoximorphic features are within a depth of 30 inches and poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained
R053BY006ND – Saline Lowland
R053BY006ND – Saline Lowland
Depth to a highly calcareous subsoil (strong or violent effervescence) is >16 inches, somewhat poorly drained and redoximorphic features (primarily concentrations) typically occur at a depth between 18 and 42 inches
R053BY004ND – Limy Subirrigated
R053BY004ND – Limy Subirrigated
Soil has redoximorphic features visible from 18-42 inches from the soil surface and somewhat poorly drained.
R053BY012ND – Subirrigated
R053BY012ND – Subirrigated
IV. Generally, redox features are within a depth of 18 inches, poorly drained
R053BY019ND – Wet Meadow
R053BY019ND – Wet Meadow
Deep depressions which have frequent ponding through most of the growing season (typically extends into mid-summer or longer), and very poorly drained
R053BY025ND – Shallow Marsh
R053BY025ND – Shallow Marsh
Soils with >15% gravels at < 14 inches of depth
R053BY017ND – Very Shallow
R053BY017ND – Very Shallow
Soils with >15% gravels at depths 14 to 20 inches
R053BY010ND – Shallow Gravel
R053BY010ND – Shallow Gravel
Soils are shallow (10 to 20 inches) to soft sedimentary sandstone , if forms a ribbon, it is <1 inch long.
R053BY027ND – Shallow Sandy
R053BY027ND – Shallow Sandy
soil forms a ribbon 1 to 2 inches long from typically siltstone, mudstone or shale
R053BY009ND – Shallow Loamy
R053BY009ND – Shallow Loamy
located on dunes with >15% slope, soil surface textures are fine sand and loamy fine sand.
R053BY014ND – Choppy Sands
R053BY014ND – Choppy Sands
Has sodic, dense claypan layer at >6 inches with salts >20 inches of soil surface and a fine sandy loam or sandy loam soil surface texture
R053BY026ND – Sandy Claypan
R053BY026ND – Sandy Claypan
slopes are <25%; Fine sandy loam and sandy loam soil surface textures. Soil will form a ribbon <1 inch long
R053BY008ND – Sandy
R053BY008ND – Sandy
slopes are <15%; Loamy fine sand to fine sand soil surfce textures. Soil will not form a ribbon.
R053BY007ND – Sands
R053BY007ND – Sands
Silty loam to clay soil surface texture and no root restrictive layer
R053BY001ND – Clayey
R053BY001ND – Clayey
Soils in this site are the shallow depth (typically less than 6 inches) to a dense, root- restrictive, sodic claypan layer and salt accumulations within a depth of 16 inches; surface soil textures are typically loam or silt loam, but silty clay loam can occur.
R053BY013ND – Thin Claypan
R053BY013ND – Thin Claypan
Soil has dense, root-restrictive, claypan layer at 6-20" from the surface and a loam to silty clay loam soil surface texture.
R053BY002ND – Claypan
R053BY002ND – Claypan
Site is located in a swale or terrace with a loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam soil surface texture
R053BY005ND – Loamy Overflow
R053BY005ND – Loamy Overflow
Site is located on shoulder slopes, convex rises, ridges and summits; calcareous (strong to violent effervescence) subsoil layer occurs within a depth of 8 inches. soil surface textures are loam to silty clay loam.
R053BY015ND – Thin Loamy
R053BY015ND – Thin Loamy
All other sites.
R053BY011ND – Loamy
R053BY011ND – Loamy
Long term average mean annual precipitation
- No filter
- 40 – 50cm (16 – 20in)
—
cm
Long term average frost free days
- No filter
- 90 – 110days
—
days
- No filter
- 200 – 400m (700 – 1300ft)
- 400 – 600m (1300 – 2000ft)
- 600 – 800m (2000 – 2600ft)
—
m
- No filter
- 0 – 3%
- 3 – 5%
- 5 – 10%
- 10 – 15%
- 15 – 20%
- 20 – 25%
- 25 – 30%
- 30 – 35%
- 35 – 40%
- 40 – 45%
- 45 – 50%
- 50 – 60%
—
%
- No filter
- Beach
- Beach ridge
- Blowout
- Depression
- Drainageway
- Dune
- Escarpment
- Flat
- Flood plain
- Flood-plain step
- Hillslope
- Lake plain
- Lakebed
- Lakeshore
- Outwash plain
- Plain
- Pothole
- Sand sheet
- Swale
- Terrace
- Till plain
- No filter
- Mudstone
- Sandstone, unspecified
- Sedimentary, unspecified
- Shale, unspecified
- Siltstone, unspecified
- No filter
- Alluvium
- Beach sand
- Colluvium
- Eolian deposits
- Eolian sands
- Glaciofluvial deposits
- Glaciolacustrine deposits
- Lacustrine deposits
- Loess
- Outwash
- Residuum
- Till, unspecified
Soil surface texture
- No filter
- Clay
- Clay loam
- Coarse sandy loam
- Fine sand
- Fine sandy loam
- Loam
- Loamy coarse sand
- Loamy fine sand
- Loamy sand
- Silty clay
- Silty clay loam
- Silt loam
- Sandy loam
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Ecological site keys
A.
The sites have a water table <42 inches and occur in run-in positions on the landscape.
I.
EC >8 and/or visible salts in the soil profile and typically, redoximorphic features are within a depth of 30 inches and poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained
... R053BY006ND – Saline Lowland
II.
Depth to a highly calcareous subsoil (strong or violent effervescence) is >16 inches, somewhat poorly drained and redoximorphic features (primarily concentrations) typically occur at a depth between 18 and 42 inches
... R053BY004ND – Limy Subirrigated
III.
Soil has redoximorphic features visible from 18-42 inches from the soil surface and somewhat poorly drained.
... R053BY012ND – Subirrigated
IV.
IV. Generally, redox features are within a depth of 18 inches, poorly drained
... R053BY019ND – Wet Meadow
V.
Deep depressions which have frequent ponding through most of the growing season (typically extends into mid-summer or longer), and very poorly drained
... R053BY025ND – Shallow Marsh
B.
Soil depth is <20 inches to bedrock or sand and gravel (>15% gravel)
III.
Soils are shallow (10 to 20 inches) to soft sedimentary sandstone , if forms a ribbon, it is <1 inch long.
... R053BY027ND – Shallow Sandy
IV.
soil forms a ribbon 1 to 2 inches long from typically siltstone, mudstone or shale
... R053BY009ND – Shallow Loamy
C.
Sand content is >45% in soil surface texture
I.
located on dunes with >15% slope, soil surface textures are fine sand and loamy fine sand.
... R053BY014ND – Choppy Sands
II.
Has sodic, dense claypan layer at >6 inches with salts >20 inches of soil surface and a fine sandy loam or sandy loam soil surface texture
... R053BY026ND – Sandy Claypan
III.
slopes are <25%; Fine sandy loam and sandy loam soil surface textures. Soil will form a ribbon <1 inch long
... R053BY008ND – Sandy
iv.
slopes are <15%; Loamy fine sand to fine sand soil surfce textures. Soil will not form a ribbon.
... R053BY007ND – Sands
D.
Clay Content is >35% in soil surface texture
II.
Soils in this site are the shallow depth (typically less than 6 inches) to a dense, root- restrictive, sodic claypan layer and salt accumulations within a depth of 16 inches; surface soil textures are typically loam or silt loam, but silty clay loam can occur.
... R053BY013ND – Thin Claypan
III.
Soil has dense, root-restrictive, claypan layer at 6-20" from the surface and a loam to silty clay loam soil surface texture.
... R053BY002ND – Claypan
E.
All others
I.
Site is located in a swale or terrace with a loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam soil surface texture
... R053BY005ND – Loamy Overflow
II.
Site is located on shoulder slopes, convex rises, ridges and summits; calcareous (strong to violent effervescence) subsoil layer occurs within a depth of 8 inches. soil surface textures are loam to silty clay loam.
... R053BY015ND – Thin Loamy
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.
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