LOCATION FORELLE WY+CO MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Forelle fine sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 5 percent fine, semirounded gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
BAt--4 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few, thin clay films on faces of some peds; 5 percent fine semirounded gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; continuous thin clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and root channels; 5 percent fine semirounded gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Btk--15 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few thin clay films on faces of some peds and in some root channels; strongly effervescent, common soft masses of lime; 5 percent fine, semirounded gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bk--20 to 44 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, lime is disseminated and as common soft, rounded masses; 10 percent fine, semirounded gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
C--44 to 60 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly effervescent, lime disseminated; 10 percent fine, semirounded gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Albany County, Wyoming; approximately 800 feet west and 50 feet south of the W1/4 corner of sec. 1, T. 15 N., R. 74 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 41 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 59 to 63 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 12 to 25 inches
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 12 to 25 inches
Rock fragment content of the entire soil to 60 inches: 15 percent or less when averaged with gravel ranging from 0 to 15 percent and cobble from 0 to 5 percent
EC: less than 2 mmhos throughout
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 5Y
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam with 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 but less than 35 percent fine sand or coarser
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline
Btk and Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 5Y
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 1 through 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, and less commonly sandy loam with 18 to 30 percent clay; clay size carbonates may make up to 5 percent of the clay fraction
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 4 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy loam with 18 to 30 percent clay
Reaction: slightly through strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 6 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Bateson, Bluerim, Maysprings, Satanka and Taffom series. Previous competitors are the Almy and the Diamondville series.
Almy: have hue redder than 7.5YR
Bateson: have a lithologic discontinuity with loamy-skeletal material
Bluerim,
Diamondville, Satanka: have a paralithic contact between 20 and 40 inches deep
Maysprings, Taffom: do not have secondary calcium carbonate above 40 inches
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium and slope alluvium derived from shale interbedded with sandstone and siltstone
Landform: fan aprons, fan piedmonts, hillslopes, and hill toeslopes
Slopes: 0 to 30 percent
Elevation: 5,300 to 7,800 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 12 inches but ranges from 9 to 14 inches of which about half falls as rain or snow in April, May and early June
Mean annual temperature: 39 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 75 to 110 days depending upon elevation, aspect, and air drainage.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Absher, Havre, Luhon, and Poposhia soils and the competing Diamondville and Satanka soils. Absher soils contain over 35 percent clay in the Bt and have natric horizons. Havre soils occur on recent flood plains and have developed no diagnostic horizons. Luhon soils have calcic horizons and lack Bt horizons. Poposhia soils occur on more recent deposits and lack Bt horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The primary use is rangeland and wildlife habitat, but some areas are used as dry cropland or irrigated cropland or hay and pastureland. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, blue grama, big sagebrush, green needlegrass, and thickspike wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain valleys of southern and central Wyoming and northern Colorado.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, Colorado; 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--0 to 4 inches(A)
Argillic horizon--7 to 15 inches(Bt)
Secondary calcium carbonate--15 to 44 inches (Btk, Bk)
Classification was changed from Borollic Haplargids to Ustic Haplargids 2/1999
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.