LOCATION LANGSPRING CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Langspring sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 3 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown to dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--11 to 17 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
Bk2--17 to 42 inches; white (10YR 8/2) sandy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent pebbles; 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent, strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
Bk3--42 to 53 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent pebbles; 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
Bk4--53 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent pebbles; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Moffat County, Colorado; 15 miles south southwest of Powder Wash, Colorado; 1,300 feet south, 1,100 feet east of the NW corner of Sec. 23, T. 9 N., R.99 W. Latitude: 40 degrees, 43 minutes, 45 seconds north; longitude: 108 degrees, 29 minutes, 25 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 48 degrees F. Solum thickness ranges from 15 to 30 inches. Depth to the calcic horizon ranges from 8 to 30 inches. Rock fragments range from 0 to 35 percent and are commonly less in the upper horizons which contain a component of loess. Rock fragments are dominantly 1/4 to 6 inches in diameter. The calcic horizon contains 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 or 7, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and loam. This horizon is commonly calcareous, but is noncalcareous in some pedons.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy clay loam and loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 7 or 8, 6 or 7 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6. It is fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Some pedons may have accumulations of gypsum below 30 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils are Luhon, Brownsto, Sandwash, and Vermillion. Luhon has a mean annual precipitation of 14 inches. Brownsto, Sandwash, and Vermillion soils have loamy-skeletal particle-size control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Langspring soils are on mesas, fan aprons, terraces, and plateaus that have convex or plane surfaces. Slope gradients range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in residuum and slope alluvium derived from fine grained sandstone and shale with a component of loess in the upper 2 to 4 feet. Elevation at the type location is 6,000 to 7,300 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 7 to 11 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 42 to 46 degrees F. Frost-free season is 75 to 105 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Baston, Sandwash, and Vermillion soils. Baston is moderately deep and high in exchangeable sodium. Sandwash and Vermillion soils are moderately deep and have loamy-skeletal particle- size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally as native pastureland. Principal native plants are bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, big sagebrush, nailwort, and shadscale.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest Colorado and adjacent parts of Wyoming. The series is of moderate extent with approximately 15,000 acres currently classified.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Moffat County (Moffat County Area), Colorado; 1991.
REMARKS: Soil name is coined from the Langspring Topographic Quadrangle. Diagnostic feature includes the calcic horizon, the zone from 17 to 42 inches. Last updated by the state 12/90.