LOCATION ENENTAH COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Enentah very stony loam , on a southwest facing, convex, 32 percent slope in a spruce-fir forest at an elevation of 10,288 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on July 15, 1997 the soil was moist from 6 to 72 inches. The surface is covered by 2 percent boulders, 2 percent stones and 25 percent cobbles
E--0 to 6 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very stony loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine to coarse roots; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bs1--6 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; 20 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bs2--20 to 34 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 35 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 35 inches combined thickness of Bs horizons)
Bw--34 to 56 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 35 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (14 to 25 inches thick)
BC--56 to 72 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 35 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Grand County, Colorado; about 0.5 miles North of Hells Hip Pocket of the Never Summer Mountain Range in Rocky Mountain National Park; located about 400 feet east and 1750 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 12, T. 5 N., R. 76 W.; Fall River USGS quad; lat. 40 degrees 24 minutes 45 seconds N. and long. 105 degrees 51 minutes 59 seconds W., NAD 1927
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: udic moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 34 to 40 degrees F
Mean summer soil temperature: 39 to 45 degrees F
Depth to cambic horizon: 4 to 10 inches
Thickness of the cambic horizon: 34 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Sand content: 45 to 75 percent
Rock fragments: 45 to 65 percent gravel, cobbles, and stones
Mica content: 15 to 30 percent (by grain count)
E horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
Base saturation: 40 to 60 percent
Reaction: strongly acid or moderately acid
Bs horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: very cobbly loam, extremely cobbly loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, very cobbly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80, dominantly gravel and cobbles
Base saturation: 50 to 75 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: extremely cobbly sandy loam, extremely cobbly coarse sandy loam, very cobbly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent, dominantly gravel and cobbles
Base saturation: 50 to 75 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: extremely cobbly sandy loam, extremely cobbly loamy sand, very cobbly sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent, dominantly gravel and cobbles
Base saturation: 40 to 75 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cuberant, Firada, Garlet, Gromes, Storm, and Telay series. When reclassified, the following series may be competitors: Blackleed(MT), Ketchum(ID), Poso(ID), Rosespring(NV), Shadow(MT), Targhee(ID), and Yankeefork(ID) series.
Blackleed soils have lamellae in the control section.
Cuberant,
Firada and
Targhee are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
Garlet and Pose have secondary carbonates in the control section.
Gromes and
Storm soils average greater than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Ketchum soils have a xeric moisture regime.
Rosespring soils have a lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Shadow soils have rock fragments that are dominantly channers and flagstones.
Telay soils have a solum less than 25 inches thick and average less than 35 percent rock fragments in the Bw horizons.
Yankeefork soils have sandy skeletal material at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Colluvium and till derived from granite, gneiss and schist
Landform: Glaciated mountain slopes, moraines
Landform position: mountain flank, mountain base
Slopes: 10 to 70 percent
Elevation: 9,000 to 11,000 feet
Mean annual temperature: 36 to 42 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 26 to 40 inches
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months: March, April and May
Driest months: September and October
Frost-free period: 20 to 50 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hiamovi and Leighcan series. The Hiamovi soils shallow and are on shoulders and summits. The Leighcan soils have a base saturation of less than 50 percent and are on backslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, very rapid runoff, moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Recreation and wildlife habitat. Primary vegetation is Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine with and understory of grouse whortleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral mountains of Colorado; LRR E, MLRA 48A. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand County, Colorado, 1999. Rocky Mountain National Park soil survey area. The name is from a mountain peak in the area, and is also the Arapaho word for man mountain. Pronounced uh-NEHN-tah.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Albic horizon: The zone from 0 to 6 inches. (E horizons)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 6 to 56 inches. (Bs1, Bs2, and Bw horizons)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (part of the Bs1, the Bs2, and part of the Bw horizon)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Series classified according to Eighth Edition, 1998.