LOCATION BEAMTON CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, frigid Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Beamton silty clay loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak coarse granular structure parting to moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, very sticky and very plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
AC--2 to 10 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C--10 to 26 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 19 inches thick)
Cy--26 to 33 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) silty clay loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; 30 percent soft shale fragments; few fine clusters of gypsum crystals; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--33 inches; light greenish gray soft shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Moffat County, Colorado; approximately 13 miles southwest of Powderwash, about 2,600 feet south and 1,000 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 16, T. 11 N., R. 99 W. Longitude: 108 degrees, 28 minutes, 12 seconds west. Latitude: 40 degrees, 54 minutes, 48 seconds north.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 47 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 53 to 56 degrees F. Depth to the paralithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section contains 35 to 45 percent clay, 35 to 55 percent silt and 10 to 25 percent sand.
The A horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and a chroma of 2 through 4.
The AC horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, a value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and a chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay.
The C horizon has a hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and a chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or clay. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Cy horizon, when present, has colors and textures like the C horizon. Gypsum content ranges from 5 to 10 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Terreton (ID) series. The Terreton series lacks bedrock above a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beamton soils are on hillslopes. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. The soil formed in residuum and alluvium derived from shale. Elevation ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 feet. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 11 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 75 to 95 days. July is the driest month during the growing season.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boltus, Diaflats, Fondillas, Leswill, and Rogrube soils. The Boltus and Fondillas soils are shallow to bedrock. The Diaflats soil is fine-loamy and is moderately deep to a lithic contact. The Leswill and Rogrube soils are deep and contain less than 35 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of thickspike wheatgrass, streambank wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Nuttall saltbush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur in northwestern Colorado. The series is of small extent. Total area is about 2,100 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Moffat County (Moffat County Area), Colorado, 1991.
REMARKS: This series was proposed on the Sage Creek Watershed, Carbon County, Wyoming, 1971. Type location for this series has been changed from Wyoming to Colorado. The diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are the ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches; and the paralithic contact at 33 inches. Last updated by the state 12/90.