LOCATION SARATON CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Saraton gravelly loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--O to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; 20 percent basalt gravel, 10 percent basalt cobbles; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
AC--5 to 10 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brovn (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts to fine granules; slightly hard, very friable, siightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; 25 percent gravel; calcareous; moderately alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Clca--10 to 30 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) very gravelly loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6.2) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
IIC2r--30 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) marl; strongly cemented (7.5YR 8/2) hard layers are thin and discontinuous; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; calcareous.
TYPE LOCATION: Delta County, Colorado; 1.4 miles east of the town of Cedaredge, Colorado; SW1/4 NE1/4 Sec. 28, T. 13S., R. 94 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to marl ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Calcium carbonate content in this marl is over 50 percent. The control section is typically very gravelly loam or light clay loam, but clay ranges from 18 to 35 percent. Rock fragments range from 35 to 80 percent by volume in a major part of the control section and are mainly basalt. Gravel, cobbles, and stones are also cemented in the marl in varying amounts. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 58 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 to 78 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4.
The Cca horizon has hue of 1OYR or 7.5YR.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Clapper, Ildefonso, and Seis. Clapper and Ildefonso soils lack a paralithic contact within a depth of 40 inches. Seis soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Saraton soils are on old terrace levels, mesas, and old alluvial fans and have gradients of 0 to 50 percent. They formed in gravelly stratified alluvium that is over marl. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 14 inches. The mean annual temperature is 50 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is 70 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Avalon, Auga Fria and Utaline soils, all of which are deep. Alao, Avalon soils are fine-loamy, Auga Fria soils have argillic horizons and Utaline soils are in the typic subgroup.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for grazing, irrigated crops and fruit orchards. Principal native vegetation is sagebrush, snakeweed, cactus, and scattered pinon juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The upper desert and foothill areas of west-central Colorado. The series is of moderate estent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Paonia Area, Colorado, 1976.
REMARKS OSED scanned by NSSQA and cleaned up by Colorado. Last revised by state on 2/76.