LOCATION BELLEPLAIN              WY

Tentative Series
ALB/DPG/DEW
05/2024

BELLEPLAIN SERIES

Depth class: Very deep
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity class: Moderately high
Parent material: Alluvium
Geomorphic location: Alluvial fans and stream terraces
Slope range: 1 to 15 percent
Mean annual temperature: 4.5 degrees C (40 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 205 millimeters (8 inches)

Taxonomic Class:
Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Ustic Haplocambids

Typical Pedon:
Belleplain very channery sandy loam in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and fine vesicular pores; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; slightly effervescent; 40 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary.

BCk--8 to 33 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure parts to single grain; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots and few very coarse roots throughout; few very fine irregular pores; 25 percent carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; 40 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary.

CBk--33 to 70 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive parts to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots, few medium, coarse, and very coarse roots and few very coarse roots throughout; few very fine irregular pores; 25 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; 40 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary.

C1--70 to 93 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; 45 percent channers; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary.

C2--93 to 110 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; 40 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary.

C3--110 to 145 centimeters; very channery sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; 40 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary.

C4--145 to 200 centimeters; channery sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; 2 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; 20 percent channers; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

Type Location:
Sweetwater County, WY
USGS Quadrangle: Austin Ranch
Latitude: 41.2971200
Longitude: -109.4825400
Datum: WGS84
Coordinates source: Hand-held GPS

Range in Characteristics:
Depth to cambic horizon--6 to 11 centimeters
Depth to identifiable secondary calcium carbonates-4 to 20 centimeters
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content--9 to 14 percent
Sand content--67 to 72 percent
Total rock fragments--42 to 64 percent

A horizon(s):
Hue--2.5Y or 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry; 4 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Sandy loam
Clay content--9 to 19 percent
Rock fragments--5 to 53 percent fragments; 0 to 45 percent channers, 0 to 14 percent gravels, 0 to 4 percent cobbles, 0 to 3 percent flagstones
Reaction--pH 7.8 to 8.4
Thickness--6 to 11 centimeters

Bk horizon(s) (if present):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--5 or 6 dry; 4 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry, 4 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Silt loam, loam, or sandy loam
Clay content--11 to 23 percent
Rock fragments--8 to 25 percent fragments, 0 to 23 percent channers, 0 to 25 percent gravels
Calcium carbonate equivalent--3 to 5 percent
Reaction--pH 7.8 to 8.4
Thickness--0 to 15 centimeters

BCk/CBk horizon(s):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--5 or 6 dry; 4 moist
Chroma--3 to 6 dry; 4 or 6 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--10 to 24 percent
Rock fragments--15 to 65 percent fragments, 0 to 65 percent channers, 0 to 45 percent gravels, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent--3 to 5 percent
Reaction--pH 8.0 to 8.6
Thickness--9 to 62 centimeters

C horizon(s):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy sand, sandy clay loam, or loam
Clay content--6 to 23 percent
Rock fragments--10 to 80 percent fragments, 0 to 50 percent channers, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, 0 to 70 percent gravels
Calcium carbonate equivalent--3 to 15 percent
Reaction: pH 8.0 to 9.6
Thickness--41 to 170 centimeters

Competing Series:
Fola (CO) - has calcareous material occurring at 100 to more than 150 centimeters

Geographic Settings:
Parent material--alluvium
Landform--Alluvial fans or stream terraces
Slope--1 to 15 percent
Mean annual air temperature--2.5 to 7 degrees C (37 to 45 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--180 to 230 millimeters
Frost-free period--50 to 100 days
Elevation--1,840 to 2,120 meters (6,040 to 7,000 feet)
Climate--long, cold winters; cool, moist springs; short, warm summers

Geographically Associated Soils:
None listed.

Drainage and Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity:
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: 5 to 15 m/sec

Use and Vegetation:
Belleplain soils are primarily used for rangeland. The potential native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, winterfat, bluebunch wheatgrass, needle and thread, bottlebrush squirreltail, and thickspike wheatgrass.

Distribution and Extent:
Belleplain soils are of small extent in southwestern Wyoming; MLRA 34A.

Soil Survey Region (SSR) Responsible:
Bozeman, Montana

Series Proposed:
Sweetwater County, WY 2021. Belleplain series is a coined phrase.

Remarks:
Typical Pedon Taxonomic Features:
Ochric epipedon--0 to 8 centimeters (A horizon)
Cambic horizon--8 to 33 centimeters (BCk horizon)
Secondary calcium carbonate accumulation--8 to 200 centimeters (BCk, CBk, C1, C2, C3, and C4 horizons)
Particle-size control section--25 to 100 centimeters
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition (2022)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.