LOCATION FOIDEL COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Pachic Palecryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Foidel loam, on a southeast facing slope of 6 percent in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch to; slightly decomposed leaves and twigs.
A1--1 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
A2--6 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
A3--11 to 25 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
B/E--25 to 39 inches; 60 percent brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist (Bt part), and 40 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3), dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist (E part); weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bt1--39 to 49 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few uncoated sand grains on faces of peds; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--49 to 61 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Routt County, Colorado; about 5 miles southwest of Milner, Colorado; located about 1,600 feet west and 1,000 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec. 33, T. 6 N., R. 86 W.; Milner USGS quad; Lat. 40 degrees, 26 minutes, 18 seconds N and Long. 107 degrees, 02 minutes, 12 seconds W. NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Depths given are measured from the mineral soil surface)
Soil moisture regime: ustic
Mean annual soil temperature: 37 to 42 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 20 to 35 inches
Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 28 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: averages 0 to 10 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry and moist
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
E horizon: (present in some pedons)
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry and moist
Texture: L, GR-L
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
B/E horizon: (an E/B in some pedons)
B part:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 moist
Chroma: 3 dry or moist
Texture: CL, SCL
E part:
Value: 6 dry, 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: CL, L,
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry and moist
Texture: CL, GR-CL
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ercan, Redspur, Skylick, and Yeljack series.
Ercan: Have sandstone bedrock at depths of 47 to 60 inches.
Redspur and Yeljack: have hues of 5YR or redder in the Bt horizon.
Skylick: do not have B/E or E/B horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess and alluvium, colluvium, and residuum derived from sandstone and shale
Landform: mountain slopes, hills, plateaus
Slopes: 3 to 75 percent
Elevation: 7,000 to 9,000 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 34 to 40 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 18 to 30 inches, more than half of which falls as snow.
Frost-free period: 40 to 75 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Routt,
Clayburn, and
Winevada soils.
The Clayburn soils have the top of the argillic horizon above 24 inches.
Routt soils have fine textured particle-size control sections.
Winevada soils lack an argillic horizon and have a lithic contact above 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are mainly used for livestock grazing with small areas of nonirrigated small grains. At the type location, the native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, Saskatoon serviceberry, whortleleaf snowberry, mountain brome, Columbia needlegrass, slender wheatgrass, and Letterman needlegrass. Some areas have aspen or Gambel's oak with an understory of bromes, needlegrasses, and numerous forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Foidel soils occur in northwestern Colorado. The series is of moderate extent with about 12,000 acres in the Routt County Area and 3,000 acres in the Moffat County Area.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Moffat County (Moffat County Area), Colorado, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon (pachic feature): The zone from 1 to 25 inches. (A1, A2 and A3 horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 39 to 61 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 45 inches. (B/E and part of Bt1 horizons)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998
Activity class is presumed based on general trend of other soils in the area.
ADDITIONAL DATA: