LOCATION FALCONRY COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Falconry gravelly fine sandy loam at 8000 feet in an open Ponderosa pine and Gambel's oak woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed pine needles and leaves.
A1--1 to 5 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) gravelly fine sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 15 percent gravel and 2 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary.
A2--5 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
R--14 inches; hard fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; about 300 feet north and 750 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 12, T. 35 N., R. 13 W.; Thompson Park, Colorado USGS Quad; Lat. 37 degrees 17 minutes 59 seconds N., Long. 108 degrees 14 minutes 30 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 45 to 47 degrees F
Mean summer soil temperature: 62 to 64 degrees F
Particle-size control section: 5 to 18 percent clay
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 16 inches
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam or loam with less than 35 % fine sand and coarser.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent sandstone fragments (mostly less than 3 inches)
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
C horizon (if present):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam or loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent sandstone fragments (mostly less than 3 inches)
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Ansari, Corpening, and Falcon series. Previous competitors prior to the Seventh Edition, 1996 version of Keys to Soil Taxonomy are the Akhoni and Potagannissing series.
Akhoni soils have particle-size control sections dominated by fine sand.
Ansari and Corpening soils are calcareous and have continuous horizons of secondary calcium carbonate accumulation.
Falcon soils formed in arkosic sandstone and have greater than 35 percent fine sand and coarser.
Potagannissing soils are very shallow, have a mean annual precipitation of about 30 inches, and are underlain by limestone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium, or slope alluvium over residuum, derived from sandstone
Landform: ridges, hills, and canyons
Slopes: 3 to 25 percent
Elevation: 7,100 to 8,500 feet
Mean annual temperature: 43 to 47 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 20 inches.
Frost-free period: 80 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ilex and Pramiss series. Ilex soils are very deep and have clayey textures. Pramiss soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact with shale. Both of these soils are on hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, high runoff, moderate permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily as native rangeland. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine, Gambel's oak, mountainmahogany, and Arizona fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Colorado, LRR E, MLRA 48A. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Montezuma County, Cortez Soil Survey Area, Colorado. 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon: The zone from 1 to 14 inches. (A)
lithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 14 inches. (R)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 1 to 14 inches. (A1, A2)
Soil Taxonomy: Second Edition, 1999
These soils are borderline mesic-frigid. Future temperature studies are needed to resolve this issue.