LOCATION GOVE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Alfic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gove coarse sandy loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) coarse sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 5 percent fine angular granite gravel; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 20 inches thick)
A2--17 to 24 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) loamy coarse sand, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak thin platy structure that parts to fine granules, or single grains; hard, very friable; 5 percent gravel; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
B2t--24 to 40 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) coarse sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; peds are extremely hard, very friable; nearly continuous clay film on peds and as coatings and fillings in root channels and pores; 5 percent fine and very fine angular granite gravel; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 28 inches thick)
B3--40 to 46 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable; peds are extremely hard, very friable; thin clay films on peds and in some root channels and pores; 10 percent fine and very fine angular granite gravel; medium acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C--46 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) coarse sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR) moist; massive; extremely hard, very friable; 10 percent fine and very fine angular granite gravel; medium acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Colorado; 700 feet west and 500 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec. 28, T. 7 S., R. 68 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Gove 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. Base saturation ranges from 60 to 100 percent. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 15 to 50 inches. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent by volume in a major part of the solum and C horizon above a depth of 50 inches and are mainly less than 3 inches in diameter but range from 1/8 to 10 inches in diameter. The solum and C horizons range from medium acid to neutral. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 64 degrees F.
The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3.
The A2 horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5YR, value of 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6.
The B2t horizon has hue of 5YR through 10R, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. Subhorizons yellower than 5YR occur in some pedons. This horizon is typically coarse sandy clay loam and has 18 to 35 percent clay, 5 to 35 percent silt, and 40 to 75 percent sand with more than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand. A large proportion of the sand fraction is medium, coarse, and very coarse angular sand that has a high percentage of flat bearing surfaces between sand grains.
The C horizon normally has hue of 5YR through 10R. Subhorizons yellower than 5YR occur in some pedons. This horizon is typically coarse sandy loam with less than 18 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Critchell and Rule series. Critchell soils lack A2 horizons. Rule soils have ochric epipedons, mixed A&B horizons, and mean annual soil temperature colder than 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gove soils are on alluvial fans or valley side slopes. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in parent materials weathered residually from reddish brown arkose beds of the Fountain and Lyons formations, or from reddish colored Pikes Peak granite. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 17 inches, with peak periods of precipitation in the spring and summer.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Garber and Lonetree soils. Garber soils have mollic epipedons thicker than 16 inches, have more than 35 percent rock fragments, and have mean annual soil temperatures colder than 47 degrees F.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as cropland, native pastureland, and, in places, for forestry and recreation. Typical native vegetation is mainly widely spaced ponderosa pine trees with ground cover of sandreed grass, big and little bluestem, and thick spike wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The foothill areas of east-central Colorado. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Colorado, 1974.
REMARKS: Last updated by the state 8/74.