LOCATION CANTLE WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cantle loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, roots; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 11 inches thick)
A2--10 to 36 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/2) moist; few medium distinct gray (5Y 5/1) redox depletions and common prominent (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (11 to 22 inches thick)
2Cg--36 to 60 inches;grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; many medium prominent weak red (10R 4/3) redox concentrations; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4);
TYPE LOCATION: Laramie County, Wyoming; 1,500 feet north and 1600 feet east of the SW corner of sec. 10, T. 18 N., R. 70 W. Farthing Quadrangle, 41 degrees 32 minutes 38 seconds north latitude and 105 degrees 13 minutes 25 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 24 to 36 inches. The average annual soil temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F. The seasonal high water table ranges from 6 to 18 inches. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 30 percent clay, 25 to 60 percent silt and 30 to 60 percent sand. E.C. commonly is 2 to 8 mmhos but may range to 16 in some subhorizons. Soft masses of gypsum occur in some pedons. Redoximorphic features are common throughout most pedons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture commonly is loam, but the range includes light clay loam and very fine sandy loam. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 5 percent gravel. Reaction is moderately or strongly alkaline.
The 2Cg horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist. Chroma is typically 2 but in some pedons that have hue of 7.5YR or 5YR chroma is as high as 6. Texture is gravelly sandy loam, loam or silty clay loam, but the range includes silt loam, clay loam, and sandy clay loam. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 30 percent gravel. Reaction is moderately or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Canburn series. The Canburn series has has soil temperatures from 44 to 47 degrees F. It also has electrical conductivity from 0 to 2 mmohs/cm. and has slow or moderately slow permeability.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cantle soils are on nearly level flood plains and low terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevation is 6,500 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 17 inches with over half falling in April, May, and early June. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 39 to 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is approximately 60 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Almy, and Merden soils. Almy soils do not have mollic epipedons and have argillic horizons. The Merden soils have mollic epipedons 10 to 20 inches thick and have an irregular decrease in organic carbon between 10 and 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Cantle soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat, and limited areas are irrigated for native hay and pasture. At the type location the present vegetation is inland saltgrass, alkali sacaton, wild iris, and sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern and central Wyoming basins. The soils of this series are of minor extent, or about 4,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Albany County Area, Wyoming; 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--0 to 36 inches (A1,A2)
MLRR- D
SIR- WY0715, WY1060, WY1337
The type location and classification was changed from fine-loamy, mixed, (calcareous), frigid Cumulic Haplaquoll to fine-loamy, mixed, (calcareous), frigid Cumulic Endoaquoll in 1993.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.