Soil series profile
Madurez soil series
Madurez is a well drained soil with a loamy fine sand surface, mapped on 156,217 acres in 3 counties in NM. Hydrologic group B.
- Drainage class
- Well drained 100% of mapped acres
- Hydrologic group
- B 100% of mapped acres
- Typical topsoil pH
- 8.2 moderately alkaline · range 8.2–8.2
- Mapped area
- 156k acres in 3 counties, 1 state
Typical Madurez profile
Texture and pH by depth
Show as a table
| Depth | Texture | pH | Clay | Sand | Organic matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–5 in (H1) | Loamy fine sand | 8.2 | 8% | 83% | 0.55% |
| 5–22 in (H2) | Sandy clay loam | 8.2 | 22% | 60% | 0.6% |
| 22–60 in (H3) | Loam | 8.5 | 22% | 41% | 0.3% |
What this means
What Madurez soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems
For gardens
Typical topsoil in Madurez soils is moderately alkaline: pH 8.2. Acid-loving plants such as blueberries and azaleas struggle without amended beds, and some trees and shrubs show iron chlorosis (yellow leaves with green veins).
Sandy topsoil covers 99% of mapped Madurez acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is loamy fine sand (61% of mapped Madurez acres).
100% of mapped Madurez acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.
For lawns and yards
Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.
For a septic system
For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 0% of the acres in mapped Madurez soils very limited, 100% somewhat limited and 0% not limited.
Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.
Where Madurez soil is found
Mapped acres
Madurez is mapped in New Mexico.
| County | Acres | Share of county land |
|---|---|---|
| Valencia County, NM | 92,702 | 13.3% |
| Bernalillo County, NM | 63,470 | 8.5% |
| Sandoval County, NM | 45 | 0.0% |
Septic absorption fields
NRCS rating, share of Madurez acres
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Not limited | 0.0% |
| Somewhat limited | 100.0% |
| Very limited | 0.0% |
Drainage, water table and flooding
Share of Madurez acres
- Depth to seasonal high water table
- None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
- Flooding
- Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
- Slope
- Typically 3–3% (median 3%).
- Topsoil organic matter
- Median 0.6%.
Drainage class
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| Excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat excessively drained | 0.0% |
| Well drained | 100.0% |
| Moderately well drained | 0.0% |
| Somewhat poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Poorly drained | 0.0% |
| Very poorly drained | 0.0% |
Hydrologic soil group
Show as a table
| Category | Share of acres |
|---|---|
| A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) | 0.0% |
| B: moderate infiltration | 100.0% |
| C: slow infiltration | 0.0% |
| D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) | 0.0% |
| A/D: D as is, A if drained | 0.0% |
| B/D: D as is, B if drained | 0.0% |
| C/D: D as is, C if drained | 0.0% |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
- Data date
- SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
- Scope
- All map unit components named Madurez (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 156,217 acres.
- Method
- Shares are by mapped acres of Madurez components. The profile comes from the single largest Madurez component. Full methodology.