LOCATION ECKLEY CO+NE SD WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Eckley gravelly loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 20 percent pebbles; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak to moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocks; hard, very friable; common distinct clay films on peds; 20 percent pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
BC--12 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few faint clay films on horizontal and vertical faces of peds, and some clay bridging between sand grains; 30 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
2C--15 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very gravelly sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; 40 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline. (Several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Phillips County, Colorado,; 270 feet south and 55 feet east of the north quarter corner of Sec. 17, T. 7 N., R. 47 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 49 to 52 degrees F
Depth to contrasting gravelly or very gravelly sand: 12 to 20 inches
Depth to argillic horizon: 4 to 7 inches
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: generally noncalcareous to depths of more than 60 inches, but may be calcareous below a depth of 30 inches and have some weak accumulation of secondary calcium carbonate in some pedons
Organic carbon in the mollic epipedon: ranges from .7 to 3 percent and decreases uniformly as depth increases
Base saturated in the solum: typically base saturated but ranges from 90 to 100 percent
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 20 percent by volume but range from 5 to 35 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3
Texture: loam, gravelly loam, or gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Sand content: more than 35 percent fine or coarser sand
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: gravelly sandy loam
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
2C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly sand or gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly sand
Rock fragments: 5 to 50 percent with pebble size dominating
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES:
Altvan (NE): are deeper than 20 inches to the coarse textured 2C material and the depth to the base of their argillic horizon
Tuthill (SD): have 2C substratums of loamy sand or fine sand below a depth of 20 inches
Wolfvar (WY): are deeper than 15 inches to the coarse textured 2C material and the depth to the base of their argillic horizon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: formed in Tertiary pedisediments either in place or slightly reworked
Landform: on the crests of low ridges, shoulders, plains, hills, and valley side slopes
Slopes: 1 to 30 percent
Elevation: 4200 to 6200 feet
Mean annual temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F, the mean summer temperature is 72 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 13 to 19 inches
Precipitation pattern: 10 inches falls during April through August
Frost-free period: 120 to 160 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Ascalon: have no contrasting horizon above depth of 40 inches
Blueridge: lack argillic horizon and are sandy throught the control section
Dix: have a sandy-skeletal control section
Platner: have a fine, montmorillonitic control section
Altvan: are deeper than 20 inches to the coarse textured 2C material and the depth to the base of their argillic horizon
Satanta: have no contrasting horizon above depth of 40 inches
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderate
Runoff; low to high
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as dry or irrigated croplands, or as native pastureland. Typical native vegetation is short grasses, of which blue grama predominates.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Colorado, western Nebraska, eastern Wyoming and southwestern South Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Logan County, Colorado, 1974.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: from 0 to 12 inches (A and Bt horizons)
Argillic horizon: 4 to 10 inches from (Bt horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: sand and gravel is at 12 to 20 inches