LOCATION BIJOU COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bijou loamy sand - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent fine and very fine angular granitic pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 28 centimeters (3 to 11 inches) thick)
A2--25 to 38 centimeters (10 to 15 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; primary peds are very hard; 5 percent fine and very fine angular granitic pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) thick)
Bt--38 to 71 centimeters (15 to 28 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; peds are extremely hard; thin patchy clay films on faces of some peds and discontinuous clay films in root channels and pores; clay films bridging sand grains and coating sand grains and rock fragments; 5 percent fine and very fine angular granitic pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 91 centimeters (6 to 36 inches) thick)
BC--71 to 84 centimeters (28 to 33 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; peds are extremely hard; few patchy clay films on faces of peds and coating some sand grains; 5 percent fine and very fine angular granitic pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches) thick)
C--84 to 152 centimeters (33 to 60 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) loamy sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent fine and very fine angular granitic pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Morgan County, Colorado; approximately 58 meters (190 feet) west and 53 meters (175 feet) north of the southeast corner of Sec. 25, T. 4 N., R. 59 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to uniformly calcareous material: 102 to 152 centimeters or more (40 to 60 inches)
Depth of the argillic horizon: 30 to 102 centimeters (12 to 40 inches)
ESP: remains constant or increases with increasing depth and ranges from 0 to 14 in the subhorizons of the solum or C horizon.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent by volume of the solum and C horizon above 102 centimeters (40 inches) mainly 1/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter.
A horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 and 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Bt horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 and 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Silt content: 5 to 35 percent
Sand content: 52 to 75 percent more than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand
Loamy sand or coarser textures: excluded from the above range
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
C horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loamy sand, coarse sand, or coarse sandy loam that grades to coarse textured material at depths of less than 102 centimeters (40 inches)
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Betonnie (CO),
Tintero (CO),
Terro (WY),
Terry (CO), and
Vonalee (WY) series.
Betonnie and Tintero soils are not in LRR-G and are drier in
May and June.
Vonalee soils are calcareous above a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches), and have visible accumulation of secondary carbonate.
Terro and Terry soils have bedrock above a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Terry soils are calcareous in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: thick noncalcareous, coarse to moderately coarse textured materials derived from granite or arkose deposits
Landforms: terraces, alluvial fans, valley side slopes, and sandy uplands
Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent.
Elevation: 1311 to 1402 meters (4,300 to 4,600 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 33 to 38 centimeters (13 to 15 inches) peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and early summer months
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 13 degrees C. (47 to 55 degrees F.)
Mean summer soil temperature: 20 to 24 degree C. (68 to 75 degrees F.)
The frost-free period: 120 to 155 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Blakeland and
Bresser soils.
Blakeland soils have a mollic epipedon and lack an argillic horizon.
Bresser soils have a mollic epipedon and have 18 to 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well to somewhat excessively drained
Runoff: low to very low
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: high to very high
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for grazing land or as dry or irrigated cropland.
Native vegetation is blue grama, sand sage, yucca, sand reed grass, and needleandthread grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Colorado in MLRA's 67 and 69. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morgan County, Colorado, 1967.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Argillic horizon: 38 to 71 centimeters (15 to 28 inches) (Bt horizon)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 38 centimeters 0 to 15 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Moisture regime: ustic (Flat bearing sand grains increase the differential between dry and moist consistence.)
Last updated by the state 5/89
Last updated by LM and JCR in 09/2005 to include metric conversion and changing permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.