LOCATION CALEMORE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Calemore silt loam, on a west facing, nearly level, 2 percent slope at an elevation of 5,890 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on March 9, 1989 the soil was moist from 0 to 11 inches.
A--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few patchy distinct clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--11 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocks; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common continuous distinct clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons are 11 to 15 inches)
Btk1--20 to 36 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown(10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocks; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common continuous distinct clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; common fine soft masses of lime; violently effervescent; 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary.
Btk2--36 to 42 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4)moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few patchy distinct clay films on vertical faces of peds; common medium rounded soft masses of lime; 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Btk horizons are 13 to 27 inches)
Bk--42 to 65 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado; 2250 feet east and 450 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 2, T. 34 S., R. 58 W.; Branson USGS quad; 37 degrees, 6 minutes, 15 seconds north and 103 degrees, 52 minutes, 40 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist intermittently April through August; Ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 53 degrees F
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 66 to 74 degrees F
Thickness of the argillic horizon: 26 to 42 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 8 to 20 inches thick
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 4 to 15 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Sand content: 5 to 25 percent, with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons are leached to 10 inches.
Bt horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Sand content: 5 to 25 percent with less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Btk horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Sand content: 5 to 25 percent with less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent.
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: loam or silt loam.
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Aliante (NM),
Alliance (NE),
Cale (NM),
Kadoka (SD),
Keith (NE),
Mace (NE),
Norka (CO),
Thirtynine (T)(WY), and
Vale (SD) series.
Aliante soils: are dry in
May and June.
Alliance soils: have paralithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Cale soils: do not have argillic horizons without visible secondary calcium carbonate and are moderately alkaline.
Kadoka and Mace soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Keith soils: have argillic horizons that do not have secondary calcium carbonate.
Norka soils: depth to the base of the Bt horizon is 15 inches or less.
Thirtynine and Vale soils: have argillic horizons less than 26 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Loess and silty alluvium derived from sedimentary deposits.
Landform: Plains and fans
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,000 feet
Mean annual temperature: 50 to 53 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 16 inches
Precipitation pattern: Wettest period is April through August and the driest period is December through February
Frost-free period: 125 to 155 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Baca,
Raku, and
Wiley series.
Baca soils: average more than 35 percent clay and do not have a mollic epipedon.
Raku soils: averages more than 35 percent clay.
Wiley soils: do not have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is rangeland and irrigated cropland. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, blue grama, buffalograss, mat muhly, bottlebrush squirreltail, and broom snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Colorado. LRR G, MLRA 67, 70. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES PROPOSED: Las Animas County, Colorado, Las Animas County Area soil survey area, Colorado. The name is coined from the Cale series at a northern latitude.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle Size Control Section: The zone from 7 to 27 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, and part of Btk1 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 11 inches. (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 11 to 42 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
ADDITIONAL DATA: This soil was included in the Cale series. Calemore series replaces the Cale series in Las Animas County, Colorado. Lab data #S93CO-071-008.