LOCATION ALMAGRE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Almagre loam, on a southeast facing, convex, 1 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 5,400 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on July 22, 1999 the soil was moist from 0 to 9 inches.
A--0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 cm); brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; noneffervescent; common fine and very fine roots; slightly alkaline(pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
BA--5 to 9 inches (13 to 23 cm); brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few patchy clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline(pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 23 inches (23 to 69 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds; violently effervescent (6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
Btk--23 to 30 inches (69 to 76 cm); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard; firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common continuous distinct clay films of faces of peds; 2 percent medium distinct soft calcium carbonate masses; violently effervescent (6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bk1--30 to 40 inches (76 to 102 cm); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 8 percent medium distinct soft calcium carbonate masses; violently effervescent (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--40 to 50 inches (102 to 127 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent medium faint soft calcium carbonate masses; violently effervescent (32 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4). (7 to 11 inches thick)
R--50 to 60 inches (127 to 150 cm); hard Dakota sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado; about 11 miles east of Delhi, Colorado; located about 700 feet east and 2,500 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 34, T. 27 S., R. 61 W.; Sun Valley Ranch USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 39 minutes 3.6 seconds N. and long. 104 degrees 13 minutes 16.4 seconds W., NAD 1983
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist
April through June and intermittently moist July and August;
Aridic moisture regime bordering on Ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 51 to 54 degrees F. (10.5 to 12.2 degrees C)
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F. (18.9 to 22.2 degreesC)
Depth to lithic contact: 40 to 60 inches (100 to 150 cm) to hard sandstone
Depth to argillic horizon: 7 to 11 inches (18 to 28 cm)
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to 6 inches (0 to 13 cm)
Depth to calcic horizon: 26 to 39 inches (66 to 99 cm)
Thickness of the argillic horizon: 19 to 28 inches (48 to 71 cm)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Sand content: 5 to 30 percent, with less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 2 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
BA horizon:(an A2 horizon in some pedons)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silt loam, loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 2 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 24 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 2 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 10 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silt loam, loam, silty clay loam, gravelly loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Monogram(CO),
Snapill(NM),
Tetilla(NM),
Villedry(CO), and
Witt(NM) series.
Monogram soils: are greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock.
Snapill soils: are dry April through June and moist July and August.
Tetilla soils: are greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock.
Villedry soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Witt soils: are greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess and residuum derived from sedimentary materials
Landform: plains, interfluve
Slopes: 1 to 4 percent
Elevation: 4,000 to 6,000 feet (1,219 to 1,829 m)
Mean annual temperature: 49 to 53 degrees F. (9.5 to 11.7 degrees C)
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 14 inches (30 to 36 cm)
Precipitation pattern: continental
Wettest months: April through August
Driest months: November through February
Frost-free period: 125 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Travessilla, Villedry, and Wilid series. The Travessilla soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches and are on summits and shoulders. The Villedry soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches and are on backslopes. The Wilid soils are greater than 60 inches deep and are on nearly level slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained, moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly blue grama, galleta, western wheatgrass, red threeawn, broom snakeweed and plains pricklypear.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern plains, Colorado; LRR G, MLRA 69; moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Las Animas county, Colorado, Las Animas County Area soil survey area. The name was taken from a prominent drainage in the area.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 9 to 30 inches (23 to 76 cm). (Bt and Btk horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 9 inches (0 to 23 cm). (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 9 to 30 inches (23 to 76 cm). (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 30 to 50 inches (76 to 127 cm). (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Lithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 50 inches (127 cm). (R horizons)
This series was originally a bedrock substratum phase of the Wilid series.
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
10/2008 LAN WAW updated the format to include metric and updated horizon nomenclature during final correlation of Las Animas County soil survey.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
ADDITIONAL DATA: