LOCATION GAS CREEK CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gas Creek gravelly sandy loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ag--0 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) moist, and dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist redoximorphic features; moderate fine crumb and granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 25 percent pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
2Cg--14 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; many coarse prominent, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist redoximorphic features; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 60 percent pebbles; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Chaffee County, Colorado; 90 feet north of the SW corner of Sec. 2, T. 15 S., R. 78 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 46 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 62 to 66 degrees F. Gas Creek soils typically are noncalcareous to depths of more than 60 inches, but depth to uniformly calcareous material ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 24 inches thick. Mottled cambic horizons of low chroma occur above the 2C horizon in some pedons. Depth to the sandy-skeletal 2C horizon ranges from 12 to 25 inches and is shallow enough that on a weighted average basis the control section is sandy-skeletal. The upper part of the control section is typically gravelly sandy loam and has 5 to 18 percent clay, 5 to 40 percent silt, and 45 to 82 percent sand with more than 35 percent fine or coarser sand. Textures of loamy fine sand or coarser are excluded from the above range. Rock fragments range from 5 to 35 percent by volume in a major part of the upper part of the control section and are mainly less than 3 inches in diameter and range from 1/8 to 10 inches in diameter. The A and C horizons range from slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. This horizon usually has common to many medium distinct redoximorphic features from near the surface downward.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5Y to 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2, and contains many medium to coarse prominent redoximorphic features of low to high chroma.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other soils in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Gas Creek soils are on floodplains, alluvial fans or concave areas on terraces. Slope is 0 to 10 percent. Irrigation has aggravated the typically poorly drained nature of these soils. The soils formed in alluvial parent materials derived from mixed sources. Elevation ranges from 7500 to 8300 feet. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches with peak periods of precipitation during the spring and summer. Mean annual air temperature is 36 to 40 inches. The frost free period ranges 60 to 75 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antero and Chaffee soils. Antero soils are moderately coarse textured and lack mollic epipedons. Chaffee soils are moderately coarse textured and have mollic epipedons more than 24 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly to somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability. These soils have fluctuating water tables at depths of less than 50 inches.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as native cropland and as irrigated pastureland or hayland. Native vegetation is water-tolerant grasses, sedges, and rushes.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountain valleys of central and southern Colorado. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chaffee County, Colorado, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features in this pedon include:
-A mollic epipedon from 0 to 14 inches.
-A watertable that fluctuates above 50 inches.
-Redoximorphic features throughout the profile.
-Last updated by the state 12/93.