LOCATION BREEZEBASIN COTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Breezebasin loam on a 1 percent slope in irrigated hay at an elevation of 6,300 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on August, 6, 1979, the soil had free water at 40 inches.
A1--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary.
A2--6 to 13 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of A horizons is 10 to 40 inches)
AC--13 to 30 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam stratified with thin lenses of loam and sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C--30 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam stratified with thin lenses of loam and sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron accumulations; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8). (20 to 45 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Routt County, Colorado; about 6 miles west of Hayden, about 2,500 feet south and 2,500 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 10 T. 6 N., R. 89 W. Lat. 40 degrees 29 minutes 30 seconds N. and Long. 107 degrees 21 minutes 40 seconds W. NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: ustic moisture regime, typic subclass
Mean annual soil temperature: 41 to 45 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 59 to 64 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 16 to 40 inches
Depth to seasonal endosaturation: 30 to 60 inches, March through June
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
A horizons:
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 10 to 30 percent
Fragment content: 0 to 10 percent mixed gravel
Organic matter content: 2.0 to 4.0 percent
AC horizon (not in all pedons):
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: stratified sandy loam to loam to clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Fragment content: 0 to 10 percent mixed gravel
Organic matter content: 1 to 3.0 percent
C horizon:
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: stratified sandy loam to loam to clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Fragment content: 0 to 10 percent mixed gravel
0 to 3 percent mixed cobbles
0 to 3 percent mixed stones
Organic matter content: 0.0 to 1.0 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Brycan,
Cordeston, Dalmation,
Enbar,
Jodero,
McGaffey,
Nutrioso,
Pinridge,
Polich,
Staad, and
Straw series.
Brycan soils and Polich soils have accumulations of secondary carbonates. Cordeston, McGaffey, Nutrioso, Pinridge, Staad, and Straw soils do not have endosaturation. Dalmation soils have gley colors in the lower part. Enbar soils have a lithologic discontinuity below 40 inches. Jodero soils have fragments of volcanic origin and allow for a lithologic discontinuity.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: flood plains and flood plain steps
Elevation: 6,200 to 7,000 feet
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Parent material: mixed alluvium
Mean annual temperature: 40 to 44 degrees F
Mean summer temperature: 58 to 62 degrees F.
The mean annual precipitation: 16 to 20 inches
Frost-free season: 80 to 110 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Apmay soil. The Apmay soils have a sandy-skeletal substratum starting above 40 inches and are on flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is low. Permeability is moderately slow. Depth to seasonal high water table is 30 to 60 inches March through June. The water table is below 5 feet the remainder of the year. These soils are subject to rare periods of flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is irrigated grass hay land. A few areas are rangeland or nonirrigated pastureland and used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of bluegrasses, needlegrasses, sedges, willows, and roses. A few narrowleaf cottonwood trees occur in some places.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest Colorado, LRR E, MLRA 48A, small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED: Routt County, Colorado, 2004. The name Breezebasin is taken from a nearby land feature.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: The zone from 10 inches to 40 inches (Bottom of A2 horizon, AC horizon, and top of C horizon)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 19 inches (A1, A2, and AC horizons)
Cumulic feature: An irregular carbon distribution with depth, inferred from the landscape position
Redoximorphic concentrations: In the zone from 30 to 60 inches (C horizon)
The 2 chromas are assumed to be from darkening by organic matter and not a result of chemical reduction.
Taxonomic version: Ninth Edition, 2003