LOCATION VEATCH CO+MT

Established Series
Rev. WPT/GB/EMM
04/2014

VEATCH SERIES

The Veatch series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium, alluvium, and residuum, weathered mainly from sedimentary or fine-grained igneous bedrock. Veatch soils are on mountain side slopes, escarpments, and structural benches. Slopes range from 12 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 18 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 42 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Veatch channery loam - uncultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 20 percent channers; moderately alkaline, clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)

Bw1--8 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 20 percent channers; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)

Bw2--13 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) channery loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 30 percent channers; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Bk--18 to 32 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely channery loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 50 percent channers and 15 percent flagstones; violently effervescent; disseminated secondary calcium carbonate; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 18 inches thick)

R--32 inches; light gray, hard sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Rio Blanco County, Colorado; 50 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of the SW1/4 of the NW1/4 of Sec. 15, T. 2 S., R. 96 W. U.S.G.S. Greasewood Gulch quad.; Lat. 39 degrees, 52 minutes, 36 seconds N., and Long. 108 degrees, 09 minutes, 14 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 46 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon - 9 to 16 inches and includes the upper part of the B horizon
Depth to bedrock - from 20 to 40 inches
The soil is typically calcareous throughout, but is leached to a depth of 8 inches in some pedons, and through the upper part of the cambic horizon in other pedons.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, sandy loam or loam
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Bw horizons
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 50 percent (mainly channers)
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent channers--0 to 20 percent cobbles, sandstone flagstones, or stones
Calcium carbonate: both visible and disseminated throughout
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES:
Aguja (NM) - do not have secondary calcium carbonate accumulation
Finleypoint (MT) - does not have secondary calcium carbonate accumulation
Flott (MT) - depths to secondary calcium carbonate accumulation is greater than 38 cm
Kutler (CO) - are moderately deep to a paralithic contact
Labre (MT) - have scoria rock fragments (baked sandstone and shale)
Perma (MT) - do not have a calcic horizon
Peso (NM) - are driest in the moisture control section between April and June
Pesowyo (WY) - have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section
Renegade (UT) - are deep to a paralithic contact
Sandia (NM) - have greater than 50 percent cobbles and stones in the control section; chroma of 1 in the mollic epipedon
Slimbutte (SD) - are fragmental below a depth of 100 cm
Subwell (MT) - have a discontinuity of very gravelly sandy loam at depths of 25 to 50 cm; non-skeletal above the discontinuity
Towave (UT) - are very deep
Vigilante (MT) - are deep to a lithic contact
Walstead (MT) - are very deep
Wanagan (ND) - have a lithological discontinuity at 30 to 50 cm
Wimper (MT) - are very deep

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms - Mountain side slopes, escarpments and structural benches.
Slopes - 8 to 65 percent
Parent material - colluvium, alluvium, and residuum, weathered mainly from sedimentary bedrock and less commonly from fine-grained igneous rock
Elevation - 5,500 to 8,500 feet
Mean annual precipitation - 14 to 20 inches with the greater percentage coming as snow
Mean annual temperature - 40 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 80 to 105 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Castner, Glendive, and Rentsac soils. Castner and Rentsac soils do not have a mollic epipedon. Glendive soils are deep, coarse-loamy alluvial soils in the narrow valley bottoms below the mountain side slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland for livestock and wildlife. Native vegetation consists of big sagebrush, serviceberry, and snowberry with a good understory of bluebunch wheatgrass, muttongrass, western wheatgrass, Rocky Mountain penstemon, silvery lupine, and mountain bluebell with lesser amounts of other shrubs, forbs, and grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain areas of western Colorado. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs 43B and 48A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rio Blanco County, Colorado, 1979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized are:
Mollic epipedon - from 0 to 13 inches
Cambic horizon - from 8 to 18 inches
Horizon of secondary calcium carbonate accumulation - from 18 to 32 inches
Lithic contact - at 32 inches

Veatch soils have an ustic moisture regime and a frigid temperature regime.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.