LOCATION COWESTGLEN CO+UT WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Ustic Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Cowestglen sandy loam, irrigated grass hay. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A2--5 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
C1--9 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C2--25 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; strongly effervescent, strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C3--42 to 55 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; strongly effervescent, strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
C4--55 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Moffat County, Colorado; 20 miles southwest of Craig; 1,100 feet east and 200 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 26, T. 6 N.,R. 94 W. U.S.G.S. Juniper Hot Springs quad.; Longitude: 107 degrees, 55 minutes, 9 seconds west. Latitude: 40 degrees, 26 minutes, 54 seconds north.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 43 to 46 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 to 63 degrees F. The moisture control section is moist in some or all parts from April 20 to June 5. It is dry in all parts June 20 to September 20. The moisture control section is moist in some parts slightly more than 50 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. The soil is commonly calcareous throughout, but in some pedons it may be noncalcareous to a depth of 6 inches. The particle-size control section averages 10 to 18 percent clay, 10 to 20 percent silt, and 65 to 80 percent sand. The particle-size control section is generally free of rock fragments, but in some pedons below 40 inches, thin strata may occur containing 10 to 35 percent pebbles dominantly less than one inch in diameter.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and a chroma of 1 through 3. If the value is less than 3.5 moist and 5.5 dry, the thickness is not sufficient to qualify for a mollic epipedon.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is stratified fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, sand, sandy clay loam, or loam with a weighted average of sandy loam. Very gravelly modifiers may occur below 40 inches. Reaction is slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are presently no competing soils in this subgroup and family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cowestglen soils are on flood plains, fans, and low stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The soils formed in alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 15 inches, with approximately 50 percent falling as snow. July and August are the driest months of the growing season. Mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. and the frost-free period is 75 to 105 days. Elevation is 5,300 to 7,800 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Battlement, Forelle, and Rock River soils. Battlement soils are fine-loamy. Forelle and Rock River soils are fine-loamy and have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately well drained; runoff is slow; permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cowestglen soils are used for irrigated hay and livestock grazing. Native vegetation is big sagebrush, basin wildrye, and wheatgrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cowestglen soils are moderately extensive in western Colorado.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garfield County (Douglas-Plateau Soil Survey Area), Colorado, 1988.
REMARKS: This series is a winter and early spring precipitation counterpart to the Glendive series. Diagnostic features include an ochric epipedon from 0 to 9 inches after mixing; coarse-loamy texture control section; an ustic aridic moisture regime; and a frigid temperature regime. Last updated by the state 6/95.
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.