LOCATION BEHANCO COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Pachic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Behanco loam, on a north facing, concave, 6 percent slope, in aspen and spruce-fir woodland, at an elevation of 9,480 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) Described on July 23, 1985.
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
A2--2 to 17 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very flaggy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and few fine pores; 20 percent channers, and 20 percent flags; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear irregular boundary. (6 to 28 inches thick)
E--17 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine pores; 45 percent channers and 10 percent flags; strongly acid (pH 5.1); gradual irregular boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
Bt--25 to 33 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very channery loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; common faint clay films bridging sand grains; 45 percent channers, and 10 percent flags; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
2C1--33 to 45 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) very channery sand, brownish yellow ( 10YR 6/6) moist; massive or single grained; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few fine roots; very few fine pores; 30 percent channers, 10 percent flags; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C2--45 to 47 inches; yellow (10YR 7/8) clay, brownish yellow ( 10YR 6/8) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, sticky and plastic; very few fine roots; 5 percent channers; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
2Cr--47 to 59 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) weathered sandstone, brownish yellow ( 10YR 6/6) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; strongly acid (pH 5.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2R--59 inches; hard Dakota sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; about 4 miles east of Stoner Colorado; located about 1050 feet north and 800 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 36, T. 39 N., R 13 W.; Wallace Ranch USGS quad; lat.37 degrees 35 minutes 33 seconds N. and long. 108 degrees 14 minutes 40 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 36 to 41 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 48 to 54 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 16 to 30 inches
Base saturation: 60 to 90 percent
Depth to lithic contact: 40 to 60 inches to sandstone
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent, mostly sandstone channers and flags.
A horizon:
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry and moist
Rock fragment content: 0 to 50 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
E horizon:
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry and moist
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent
Bt horizon:
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry and moist
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent
Reaction: strongly acid or moderately acid
2C1 horizon: (not present in all pedons)
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8, dry and moist
Texture (fine earth fraction): S, LS
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent channers
Reaction: strongly acid or moderately acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baconcamp, Behanin, Belsac, Blanca, Busterback, Caballo, Campone, Croesus, Darland, Dateman, Dressel, Gateview, Hapgood, Harcany, Hobacker, Lionhead, Lolon, Marcetta, Nagitsy, Namela, Nazaton, Nevtah, Papaspila, Poleline, Povey, Prong, Snag, Snopoc, Spearhead, Splitbutte, and Tonigut series.
Baconcamp: have a lithic contact with granite at 20 to 40 inches.
Behanin,
Dressel,
Lolon,
Marcetta, and Papaspilla: do not have a lithic contact above a depth of 60 inches
Belsac,
Croesus,
Dateman,
Hapgood,
Nagitsy,
Nevtah,
Prong,
Namela and Splitbutte: have a lithic contact above 40 inches .
Blanca,
Busterback,
Darland,
Gateview,
Harcany,
Poleline,
Povey,
Snag,
Snopoc and Spearhead: have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Campone, Hapgood,
Hobacker, and Nevtah: do not have cambic horizons.
Caballo and Tonigut: are calcareous below 28 inches.
Lionhead: have a calcic horizon.
Nazaton: have a mean annual soil temperature above 42 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum and slope alluvium derived dominantly from sandstone.
Landform: mesas.
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Elevation: 8,500 to 10,000 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 34 to 40 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 25 to 30 inches.
Wettest months: July and August.
Driest months: May and June receive the least precipitation, however the soils are still moist from snowmelt.
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Helmet and
Storm series. Helmet soils have a mollic epipedon 10 to 16 inches thick and an argillic horizon with over 35 percent clay.
Storm soils lack a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is aspen, Englemann spruce, Douglas-fir, white fir, wild strawberry, aspen peavine, Columbia needlegrass, bromegrass, Parry oatgrass, sedge, and wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Colorado. LRR E, MLRA 48A. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Montezuma County (Animas-Dolores Area), Colorado, 2002. Series proposed in 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon, Pachic feature: The zone from 0 to 17 inches. (A1, and A2 horizons)
Albic horizon: The zone from 17 to 25 inches (E horizon)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 25 to 33 inches. (Bt horizon) Does not have the clay increase for an argillic.
Paralithic contact: at 47 inches (2Cr layer)
Lithic contact: at 59 inches (2R layer)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Pedon classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998
Activity class presumed based on general trend of soils in the area.