LOCATION BLUEMOD                 WY

Tentative Series
TIK-DPG-DEW
04/2025

BLUEMOD SERIES

Depth class: Moderately deep
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity class: Very high
Parent material: Slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone and shale
Geomorphic location: Hillslopes or fan remnants
Slope range: 1 to 35 percent
Mean annual temperature: 4 degrees C (39 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 280 millimeters (11 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS:
Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Bluemod sandy loam in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and common medium roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary.

Bt1--8 to 24 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine and common medium roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 15 percent prominent clay films on all faces of peds; 2 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary

Bt2--24 to 59 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 5/2) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many fine and common medium roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent prominent clay films on all faces of peds; 5 gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary.

BC--59 to 72 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; 8 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary.

Cr--72 centimeters; sandstone bedrock, paralithic.

TYPE LOCATION:
Sweetwater County, WY
USGS Quadrangle: Stevens Flat
Latitude: 41.6647224
Longitude: -109.6769409
Datum: WGS84
Coordinates source: Hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to argillic horizon: 3 to 15 centimeters
Depth to paralithic contact: 50 to 100 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content-18 to 32 percent
Sand content-30 to 70 percent
Total rock fragments--0 to 25 percent

A horizon
Hue-7.5YR or 10YR
Value-3 to 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma-2 or 3 dry; 1 to 4 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)-Loam or sandy loam
Clay content-12 to 22 percent
Rock fragments-0 to 15 percent gravels
Reaction-pH 6.8 to 7.2
Thickness-3 to 13 centimeters

Bt horizon(s)
Hue-7.5YR or 10YR
Value-4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma-2 to 4 dry; 2 to 6 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)-Clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam
Clay content-18 to 32 percent
Rock fragments-0 to 25 percent gravels
Reaction-pH 6.8 to 7.6
Thickness-29 to 68 centimeters

C/BC horizon(s)
Hue-5Y to 2.5Y
Value-4 or 5 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma-3 or 4 dry; 2 to 6 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)-Sandy clay loam, loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or loamy coarse sand
Clay content-8 to 24 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 50 percent gravels
Reaction--pH 7.0 to 7.8
Thickness--10 to 40 centimeters

COMPETING SERIES:
Bondoe (MT) - soils are very deep
Bonfri (MT) - soils have secondary calcium carbonate accumulations
Bonhigh (WY) - soils have secondary calcium carbonate accumulations
Chinatown (MT) - soils are moderately deep to lithic contact
Fattig (MT) - soils are moderately deep to lithic contact
Ferball (MT) - soils are very deep
Foreleft (MT) - soils are very deep
Foreright (WY) - soils are very deep
Jewel (WY) - soils are deep to paralithic contact
Mckaylake (WY) - soils have gypsum accumulation
Mountairy (WY) - soils have gypsum accumulation
Overlandtrail (WY) - soils have a gypsic horizon
Raghigh (WY) - soils are very deep
Raghorn (MT) - soils are very deep
Seminoe (WY) - soils are very deep
Swingstation (WY) - soils have a gypsic horizon
Zagplat (WY) - soils are deep to paralithic contact

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone and shale.
Landform: Hillslopes or fan remnants
Slope ranges: 1 to 35 percent
Mean annual temperature range: 1.1 to 5.0 degrees C (34 to 41 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range: 228 to 305 millimeters (9 to 12 inches)
Frost-free period: 30 to 80 days
Elevation: 1,992 to 2,392 meters (6,535 to 7,848 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: 1.5 to 150 um/sec

USE AND VEGETATION:
Bluemod soils are primarily used for grazing. The potential native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, letterman needlegrass, sandberg bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, rabbitbrush, and other perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Bluemod soils are of small extent in western Wyoming; MLRA 34A

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

SERIES PROPOSED:
Sweetwater County, WY 2018. The Bluemod series name is derived from a local landmark.

REMARKS:
Typical Pedon Taxonomic Features:
Ochric epipedon-0 to 8 centimeters (A horizon)
Argillic horizon-8 to 59 centimeters (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact-72 centimeters (Cr horizon)
Particle-size control section-8 to 58 cm (Bt1 and most of the Bt2 horizon)
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition, (2022)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.