LOCATION DOMO COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Typic Humicryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Domo loam - Alpine grasspark. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise indicated.)
A--0 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; 10 percent pebbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--9 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, and nonplastic; 10 percent pebbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (16 to 24 inches thick)
C--30 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; 20 percent pebbles; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Colorado; approximately 2,150 feet east and 100 feet north of the SW corner of Sec. 13, T. 1 N., R. 88 W. U.S.G.S. Devils Causeway quad.; lat. 40 degrees, 3 minutes, 39 seconds N., and long. 103 degrees, 13 minutes, 22 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 34 to 38 degrees F. Mean summer soil temperature ranges from 40 to 46 degrees F. These soils are noncalcareous throughout. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The particle-size control section has 18 to 27 percent clay, 20 to 45 percent silt and 40 to 65 percent sand. Rock fragments range from 5 to 15 percent in the A and B horizons and 10 to 25 percent in the C horizon. They are less than 3 inches in diameter and dominantly less than 1 inch in diameter. The soil ranges from slightly acid to very strongly acid in the subsurface layers.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3.
The Bw horizon has color and texture similar to the A horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, 2 through 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Archabal (ID) and the Packtrail (CO) series. Archabal soils have thicker solums with Bt horizons and significantly warmer mean annual soil temperatures. The Packtrail soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches below the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Domo soils are on high alpine plateaus and flat mountain tops. Slopes range from 3 to 30 percent. The soils formed in residuum and alluvium from basaltic materials. Mean annual precipitation is 28 to 40 inches, the majority of which falls as snow. Mean annual temperature is 32 to 38 degrees F. Elevations range from 10,000 to 11,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Angostura, Grenadier and the tentative Causewa and Packtrail soils. Angostura and Grenadier soils have ochric epipedons. In addition, the Angostura soils have argillic horizons. Causewa soils have loamy-skeletal, particle-size control sections and Packtrail soils have bedrock above a depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate to moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Domo soils are used for wildlife habitat, recreation and grazing. Native vegetation includes alpine timothy, red top, wild buckwheat, sedges, rushes, planeleaf willow and other alpine grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of western Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Flat Tops Soil Survey Area, Garfield County Colorado, August, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features include an umbric epipedon from 0 to 30 inches; and a cambic horizon from 9 to 30 inches. Last updated by the state 4/94.