LOCATION FONDILLAS COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Fondillas loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 2 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, very friable, sticky and plastic; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
AC--2 to 5 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, sticky and plastic; 15 percent channery fragments; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
C--5 to 11 inches; pale yellow (10YR 7/4) extremely flaggy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent flagstones, 25 percent channery fragments; violently effervescent, moderately alkaline (8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
R--11 inches; hard, fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Moffat County, Colorado; approximately 20 miles west of Powderwash, about 900 feet west and 200 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec. 35, T. 12 N., R. 101 W. Longitude: 108 degrees, 42 minutes, 30 seconds west. Latitude: 40 degrees, 58 minutes, 19 seconds north.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 47 degrees F., and mean summer soil temperature ranges from 61 to 66 degrees F. Lithic contact is at a depth of 10 to 20 inches. The particle-size control section is 18 to 27 percent clay and has 35 to 75 percent rock fragments.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is very flaggy, extremely flaggy, or very channery modifiers of loam or silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Sactus (ID) and Wint (WY) series. Sactus soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 39 to 43 degrees F. Wint soils have 5 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fondillas soils are on plateaus. The soil formed in residuum derived from sandstone and siltstone. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 6,600 to 7,200 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 7 to 11 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 75 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boltus, Beamton, Diaflats, and Rogrube soils. Boltus and Beamton soils are in a fine family. Diaflats and Rogrube soils do not have bedrock above depths of 20 inches and are in a fine-loamy family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of wheatgrasses, needleandthread, shadscale, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Fondillas soils occur in northwestern Colorado. The series is of small extent. Total acreage is about 2,100 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Moffat County (Moffat County Area), Colorado, 1991.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizon recognized in this pedon is the ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 2 inches. Last updated by the state 12/90.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.