LOCATION CASTELLEIA CO
Established Series
Rev. RFB/RHM/KLS
09/2022
CASTELLEIA SERIES
The Castelleia series consists of well drained soils formed in thick noncalcareous, stony medium to moderately fine materials weathered locally from quartz, latite, or similar rocks. Castelleia soils are on gently to moderately steeply sloping alluvial fans or hillsides. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 640 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Castelleia loam - forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 5 cm; recent forest litter.
Oe--5 to 8 cm; decomposed humus layer. (Combined thickness of O horizons - 5 to 10 cm)
A--8 to 18 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common roots; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 cm thick)
E--18 to 33 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; common roots; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)
E/Bt--33 to 56 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine pores; thin patchy clay films on peds and in pores; common roots; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
Bt--56 to 74 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few pores; distinct patchy clay films on peds and in pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)
C--74 to 89 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; very stony sandy clay loam; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; 40 percent stones, 15 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 60 cm thick)
2C--89 to 313 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony light clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 65 percent stones; 15 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Cr--313 cm; shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Archuleta County, Colorado; S 1/2 of Sec. 35, T. 34 N., R. 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent in a major part of the solum but increasing to more than 35 percent below the solum
A horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--3 through 7 dry, 2 through 6 moist
Chroma--1 through 4
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.0
E horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--1 through 6
Reaction-- pH 5.1 to 6.0
Bt horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--1 through 6
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay Content--18 to 35 percent
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5
C horizon(s)
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Texture--loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay Content--18 to 35 percent
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ansel,
Edloe,
Grimstone,
Hierro,
Indart, Jacquette,
Lick,
Limber,
Peeler,
Perceton, Polvadera,
Sapphire,
Schofield,
Shule,
Swapps,
Swifton,
Tahoma,
Tongue River,
Trapper,
Uinta,
Whitefish, and
Woodrock series. Ansel, Jacquette, Peeler, and Swifton soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in any part of the upper 100 cm of the profile. Ansel and Lick soils lack E/Bt horizons more than 8 cm thick. Jacquette soils have sola thicker than 140 cm. Edloe, Limber, Sapphire, Schofield, Shule, Swapps, and Woodrock soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 100 cm. Grimstone, Indart, Perceton, Polvadera, and Tongue River soils have a paralithic contact at depths of less than 100 cm. Hierro and Uinta soils have hue of 5YR or redder. Tahoma soils lack E and E/Bt horizons, and have Bt horizons thicker than 60 cm. Trapper and Whitefish soils are calcareous above depth of 100 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--alluvial fans or hillsides
Elevation--2300 to 3200 meters
Slope--2 to 30 percent
Parent material--thick, noncalcareous, stony medium to moderately fine materials weathered locally from quartz, latite, or similar rocks
Mean annual precipitation--640 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 degrees C
Mean summer temperature--12 degrees C
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for timber production, wildlife habitat, and watershed area. Principal native plants are aspen, white fir, and snowberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Castelleia soils are moderately extensive in south-central Colorado; MLRA 48A
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Archuleta County (Piedra Area), Colorado, 1974
REMARKS: Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 8/2022
Classification for the Castelleia series should be changed from Haplocryalfs to Glossocryalfs based on updated horizonation. 8/2022
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.