LOCATION EYRE CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Lithic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Eyre sandy loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 10 percent angular sandstone pebbles and flagstones; many roots; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
C--8 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, very friable; 60 percent flagstones; few roots; medium acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
R--16 to 24 inches; fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Gunnison County, Colorado; S 1/2 of Sec. 23,
T. 14 S., R. 84 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 15 inches, and depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. These soils are noncalcareous throughout. Organic carbon in the mollic epipedon ranges from 1 to 4 percent and decreases uniformly with increasing depth. The soil is 80 to 100 percent base saturated and exchangeable sodium and potassium remain constant or decrease slightly with depth. The control section is typically sandy loam with clay ranging from .8 to 18 percent. Rock fragments range from 35 to 80 percent by volume in most of the control section with most of the fragments being flagstones. Reaction ranges from ph 5.5 to 7.0, and there is little or no increase in pH with increasing depth.
The A1 horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5 YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1.5 through 3. Typically the A horizon has granular or crumb structure, but the structure is weak subangular blocky structure in some pedons. Dry consistence is soft or slightly hard.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR. This horizon is single grained to very weak subangular blocky, and the dry consistence is slightly hard to hard.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cheadle, Labshaft, Roger, Spring Creek, Starley, and Udel series. Cheadle and Spring Creek soil have an accumulation of calcium carbonate within their control section. Labshaft soils have more than 18 percent clay in their control section and formed in material weathered from conglomerate. Rogert soils formed in very gravelly material weathered from granite bedrock and contain coarse fragments which are mainly angular gravel. Starley soils have more than 18 percent clay in their control section and formed in material weathered from limestone. Udel soils are usually less the 10 inches deep, are very gravelly, and contain large amounts of ash and pumice.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on upland hills and mountainsides. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent. The soil formed in material weathered from underlying sandstone. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 20 inches with generally uniform distribution throughout the year. The mean annual temperature is about 36 to 40 degrees F. and the frost-free season is less than 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dinnen, Emerald, and Sawcreek soils, all of which are deeper than 20 inches to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for rangeland and for recreational purposes. Native vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, wild buckwheat, peavine, Oregon-grape, and some grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountain areas of central Colorado. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gunnison County, Colorado, 1975.
REMARKS: Last updated by the state 6/75.