LOCATION THOROUGHFARE CO+UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Thoroughfare fine sandy loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonplastic, nonsticky; calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
C--4 to 60 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) fine sandy loam stratified with lenses of loam and loamy sand, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Mesa County, Colorado; approximately 1,200 feet east and 500 feet south of the NW corner of Sec. 33, T. ll S., R. 101 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to uniformly calcareous material ranges from 0 to 10 inches. Gypsum content of a majority of subhorizons in the control section ranges from 0 to 1.5 percent by weight. Exchangeable sodium ranges from 0 to 8 percent in a majority of subhorizons of the control section and in no subhorizon as much as 3 inches thick above a depth of 20 inches exceeds 8 percent. Conductivity ranges from 0 to 14 millimhos in most subhorizons of the control section and in no subhorizon as much as 3 inches thick above a depth of 20 inches exceeds 14 millimhos. Continuous subhorizons of genetically concentrated visible secondary calcium carbonate and/or sulfate do not occur above 40 inches, although some visible calcium carbonate and/or sulfate does occur as a natural feature of the parent material. The 10 to 40 inch control section is usually fine sandy loam stratified with coarser and finer textured materials and on a weighted average basis clay ranges from 5 to 18 percent, silt from 5 to 45 percent and sand from 45 to 82 percent with more than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand. Rock fragments range from 0 to 14 percent and dominantly range from 1/2 to 10 inches in diameter. A majority of subhorizons above 40 inches have hue of 5YR or yellower. The control section of some pedons contains few faint mottles not due to the segregation of lime with chroma of both matrix and mottles exceeding 2.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR through 2.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist and chroma 1 through 6. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 10R. It is moderately or strongly alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye). Calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction ranges from less than 1 to about 14 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Avent, Glenton, Ives, Juva, and Neskahi series. Avent soils have hue of 7.5YR or yellower and overlie a noncontrasting sandy-skeletal substratum. Glenton and Juva soils have hue of 7.5YR or yellower in most subhorizons above a depth of 40 inches. Ives soils have pH of 8.5 to 9.6 and have more than 8 percent exchangeable sodium in the control section. Neskahi soils have less than 35 percent fine or coarser sand.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Thoroughfare soils are on nearly level to gently sloping floodplains, terraces, and alluvial fans. Slopes typically range from about 0 to 8 or more percent. The soil formed in thick, calcareous, stratified but predominantly moderately coarse textured alluvium derived principally from reddish brown sedimentary rocks. At the type location, the mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches with peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and early summer months. Mean annual temperature is 52 to 56 degrees F., mean summer temperature is 74 degree F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Avent and Glenton soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or very slow runoff; rapid or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as grazing land as as irrigated cropland. Native vegetation is shadscale, Indian ricegrass, sage, cactus, galleta, and snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mesa County (Grand Junction Area), Colorado, 1948.
REMARKS: OSED scanned by NSSQA and cleaned up by Colorado. Last revised by state on 10/72.