LOCATION FETTERMAN WYTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Aridic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Fetterman paragravelly silt loam, on a southeast facing, linear-concave, 25 percent slope in bluebunch wheatgrass, threadleaf sedge, and ponderosa pine at an elevation of 5,839 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 3 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) paragravelly silt loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine vesicular and tubular pores; about 15 percent gravel and 20 percent paragravels; surface covered with about 5 percent gravel and 20 percent paragravels; violently effervescent; carbonates disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
C1--3 to 12 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) gravelly silt loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine vesicular and tubular pores; about 25 percent gravel and 50 percent paragravels; calcium carbonate disseminated; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary.
C2--12 to 26 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) gravelly silt loam, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine vesicular and tubular pores; about 25 percent gravel and 55 percent paragravels; violently effervescent; carbonates disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined C horizons 17 to 39 inches thick)
Cr--26 to 60 inches; soft, red calcareous sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Johnson County, Wyoming; About 1,600 feet south and 600 feet west of the northeast corner of Section 34, T. 49 N., R. 83 W.; lat. 44 degrees 10 minutes 40 seconds N. and long. 106 degrees 49 minutes 22 seconds W., NAD 1983. Klondike SW USGS topographic quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 44 to 47 degrees F.
Surface rock fragments: 5 to 10 percent sandstone gravels, 0 to 10 percent sandstone cobbles, and 0 to 25 percent sandstone paragravels.
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to red calcareous sandstone.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent sandstone gravel and cobbles; 0 to 35 percent sandstone paragravels
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: loam, silt loam, or fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent sandstone gravel and cobbles; 0 to 60 percent sandstone paragravels
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Lodore,
Riedel,
Sham and
Shindy series.
Lodore: moderately deep to a lithic contact.
Riedel: hues of 2.5Y or 10YR.
Sham: very deep; hues of 5Y, 2.5Y or 10YR.
Shindy: very deep
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum and slope alluvium derived from red calcareous sandstone.
Landform: scarps and hogbacks.
Slopes: 20 to 60 percent.
Elevation: 5,500 to 6,000 feet.
Mean annual air temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 19 inches.
Frost-free period: 70 to 105 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Abac (dry phase) and
Bloodstone series.
Abac (dry phase) soils: are on backslopes of scarps and hogbacks; have a paralithic contact within 20 inches.
Bloodstone soils: are on backslopes of scarps and hogbacks; have a lithic contact within 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, threadleaf sedge, ponderosa pine and silver sagebrush. This soil has been correlated to the Loamy 15-19 Northern Plains R043BY422WY ecological site at the type location in Wyoming.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Fetterman soils are of small extent in northeastern Wyoming.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado.
SERIES PROPOSED: Johnson County (Northern Johnson Area), Wyoming, 2005. The name is from a fort in Wyoming.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 26 inches. (C1, C2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Paralithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 26 inches. (Cr horizon)
Taxonomic version: Ninth edition to the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2003.