LOCATION ETHETE WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Ethete loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure that parts to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable; common faint clay films on both horizontal and vertical faces of peds; 10 percent quartzitic gravel; calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Btk--14 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable; few faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; some visible secondary calcium carbonate occurring as concretions, and in thin seams and streaks; calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
BCk--21 to 34 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable; 20 percent gravel; much visible secondary calcium carbonate occurring in finely divided marl-like forms; calcareous; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
2Ck--34 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose; 60 percent gravel and cobble; some visible secondary calcium carbonate occurring mostly as coatings on rock fragments. (Several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Fremont County, Wyoming; approximately 720 feet west along the fence line and 50 feet north of the auto gate on U. S. Highway 26 northwest of Morton, in SW1/4 SW1/2 of sec. 29, T.3N., R.1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depths to calcareous material ranges from 0 to 10 inches, and usually at least one-half of the argillic horizon is calcareous. Thickness of solum ranges from 15 to 30 inches, and depth to the contrasting substratum ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Weighted average content of organic carbon in the upper 15 inches is approximately .4 percent, and the sand/clay ratio ranges from less than 1 to 3. Exchangeable sodium is typically less than 1 percent in the upper part of the solum but tends to increase with depth, and the content of sodium often sharply increases in the Bk horizon. The content of coarse fragments ranges from 0 to 15 percent in the solum. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 51 degrees F., and mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 degrees to 68 degrees F. The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is slightly to moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.2), and is typically noncalcareous but is calcareous in some pedons. Usually this horizon has fine granular structure but it has weak subangular blocky structure in some pedons. It is soft to slightly hard. The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is slightly to strongly alkaline (pH 7.6 to 8.6). The Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR. It is moderately to very strongly alkaline (pH 8.4 to 9.4), and contains 15 to 30 percent calcium carbonate.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Garland, Hough, Ornea, and Sharland series. Garland soils are 12 to 24 inches to secondary carbonates. Hough soils do not have horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation. Ornea and Sharland soils are 10 to 20 inches to the 2C horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ethete soils typically are on old terrace levels. Slope gradients range from 0 to 6 percent. These soils formed in calcareous, loamy alluvial deposits 20 to 40 inches thick overlying coarse sand and gravel substratums. The sediments are derived from a variety of rock sources, and are not necessarily derived from the bedrocks that lie adjacent to them. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 10 inches, with peak periods of precipitation occurring during the spring and summer months. Mean annual temperature is 43 degrees F., mean summer temperature is 66 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Griffy and Saddle soils. Griffy soils lack sand and gravel substratums. Saddle soils have bedrock at a depth of less than 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally as native pastureland, however, they are irrigated to common crops in places. Principal native plants are big sagebrush, bluestem wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Indian ricegrass, and birdsfoot sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Basin areas of central and northern Wyoming. The series has a moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fremont County (Riverton Irrigated Area), Wyoming, 1969.
REMARKS: Pronunciation-E the-te.