LOCATION BURGESS WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Ustic Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Burgess gravelly coarse sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 20 percent fine and very fine angular granite pebbles; many roots; noncalcareous; more pebbles moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; 20 percent fine and very fine angular granite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very friable; common faint clay films on faces of peds, in root channels, and as bridges between sand grains; 25 percent fine and very fine angular granite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 23 inches thick)
BtC--17 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly coarse sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very friable; few clay films on faces of peds and as bridges between sand grains; 25 percent fine and very fine angular granite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 16 inches thick)
C--21 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, loose; 25 percent fine and very fine angular granite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
R--30 inches; granite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Sheridan County, Wyoming Big Horn National Forest; approximately 1,216 feet south and 160 feet west of NE corner sec. 3, T.55N., R.89W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 15 inches thick. The soil is 80 to 90 percent base saturated. These soils have lower volume change on wetting and drying than do other soils having similar sand/clay ratios and have very hard semi-cemented consistence when air dry in the horizon or low organic matter content. Packing patterns of sand grains within the soil fabric tend to be cubical or rhomboidal. Rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent and are predominantly fine and very fine angular granite pebbles. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 32 degrees to 45 degrees F. and mean summer soil temperature ranges from 40 degrees to 48 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is soft or slightly hard and neutral to strongly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It usually has coarse subangular blocky structure but in some pedons it has weak prismatic structure. This horizon is typically gravelly sandy loam, but clay ranges from 5 to 18 percent, silt from 5 to 35 percent, and sand from 55 to 80 percent with more than 35 percent fine sand or coarser and with a high proportion of the sand fraction being medium and coarse angular granitic sand. It is moderately acid or strongly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4; It is loamy coarse sand or coarse sand. It is moderately acid or strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bassel, Ethelman, Greenman, Opitz, Scriver, Spinney, Tiagos and Washpass series. The Bassel, Scriver, Spinney, Tiagos and Washpass series are very deep. The Ethelman and Opitz series have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. The Greenman series has slightly alkaline through slightly acid reactions in the Bt horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Burgess soils are on moderately to steeply sloping mountain slopes, upland hills and ridges. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent or more. The soils formed in moderately or slightly acid parent sediments weathered from underlying granite bedrock. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 24 inches with peak periods of precipitation during the spring and early summer. The average annual temperature is 36 degrees F. Frost free season ranges from 40 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hazton and Tomichi soils. Hazton soils lack an argillic horizon and have bedrock at depth of less than 20 inches. Tomichi soils have no argillic horizon and have no bedrock above a depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used principally as rangeland and wildlife habitat. Principal native vegetation is Idaho fescue, native bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountainous areas of Wyoming. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sheridan County, Wyoming, 1932.