LOCATION BEAD                    CO+WY

Established Series
Rev. GB/KLS
11/2022

BEAD SERIES

The Bead series consists of deep, well to moderately well drained, slowly to very slowly permeable soils that formed in thick noncalcareous, moderately fine to fine textured materials originating as slope wash from sedimentary and igneous rocks. These soils are on hills, ridges, and mountainsides with slopes of 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 560 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 1 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic Vertic Glossocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Bead fine sandy loam, forest. (colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 5 cm; undecomposed needles, bark and twigs.

Oe--5 to 10 cm; partially decomposed organic material like that of the overlying horizons.

A--10 to 13 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent sandstone fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

E--13 to 26 cm; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to moderate fine granules; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 5 percent sandstone fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

E/B--26 to 56 cm; mixed colors including pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) and light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam (mixed texture), pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) and reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granules; hard, very friable; thin glossy patches on subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granules; hard, very friable; thin glossy patches on faces of the more clayey peds; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 38 cm thick)

Bt--56 to 112 cm; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; peds are extremely hard; continuous wax-like coatings on faces of peds; wax-like coatings fillings in root channels; wax-like rims around the entrance to soil pores; 10 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (30 to 86 cm thick)

BC--112 to 127 cm; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; peds are extremely hard, thin wax-like patches on faces of peds; discontinuous glossy coatings inside root channels and pores; 40 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

C--127 to 163 cm; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; 60 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Saguache County, Colorado; NE1/4 sec. 3, T. 46 N., R. 1 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
These soils are dry in some part at some time in most years and are restricted to areas having peak periods of precipitation.
Base saturation--40 to 100 percent with some subhorizon of the argillic horizon being less than 60 percent base saturated
Depth to base of argillic horizon--43 to 150 cm
Rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent in a major part of the solum, but increases with depth and exceeds 35 percent in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon and are mainly 250 to 600 mm in diameter.

These soils are noncalcareous to depths of more than 100 cm or are noncalcareous for at least the upper 8 cm of the C horizon if the solum exceeds 100 cm
The majority of subhorizons above 125 cm have hue of 5YR or redder.
Some pedons have few faint mottles with the chroma of both matrix and mottles exceeding 2 at depths less than 75 cm.

E horizon
Hue--10YR through 5YR
Value--5 through 8, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma--1 through 6
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.1 (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).

Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR through 2.5YR
Value--5 through 7, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--1 through 6
Texture--heavy clay loam or clay
Clay content--35 to 60 percent
Silt content--5 to 50 percent
Sand content--10 to 55 percent, with more than 15 percent being fine or coarser sand
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.0 (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye)

C horizon
Hue--7.5YR through 2.5YR
Texture--stony or very stony clay or heavy clay loam
Clay content--35 to 60 percent
Silt content--5 to 50 percent
Sand content--10 to 55 percent
Reaction--pH 5.1 to7.8 (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye)

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chubbs, Cowdrey, Dell, Roxton, Gateway, Hatch, Lail, McVickers, Mikesell, Muggins, Nokhu, Owlcan, and Wetterhorn series. Chubbs, Roxton, McVickers and Wetterhorn soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 100 cm. Gateway, Hatch and Mikesell soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 100 cm. Cowdrey and Dell soils have hue of 7.5YR or yellower in a majority of subhorizons in the solum and C horizon above 125 cm. Muggins and Nokhu soils have greater than 60 percent base saturation in the Bt horizon and have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the lower part of calcareous in the lower part of the solum or in the C horizons, and have horizons of calcium carbonate accumulation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--hills, ridges, and mountainsides
Slope--2 to 50 percent
Parent material--thick noncalcareous, moderately fine to fine textured materials originating as slope wash from sedimentary and igneous bedrock
Mean annual precipitation--560 mm with peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and summer months
Mean annual air temperature--1 degrees C
Mean summer air temperature--13 degrees C

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well to moderately well drained; slow to rapid runoff; slow to very slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as grazing land, for timber production and for recreation. Native vegetation is spruce, fir, and a sparse understory of grasses and shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Bead soils are moderately extensive in southcentral Wyoming and in central Colorado; MLRA 48A.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saguache County, Colorado, 1972

REMARKS: Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 9/2022

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.