LOCATION GREENHOPE WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Greenhope fine sandy loam -- on a north facing slope of one percent, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak moderate and coarse clods; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine continuous irregularly shaped pores; strongly effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 28 centimeters (6 to 11 inches) thick)
Bk1--23 to 41 centimeters (9 to 16 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine continuous irregularly shaped pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as soft masses and seams; 16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--41 to 64 centimeters (16 to 25 inches); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine continuous irregularly shapes pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as soft masses, seams, and pendants on rock fragments; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (Combine thickness of Bk horizon 38 to 74 centimeters (15 to 29 inches) thick)
Bk3--64 to 152 centimeters (25 to 60 inches); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) very cobbly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine continuous irregularly shaped pores; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate disseminated and as pendants on rock fragments; 23 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; 25 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Platte County, Wyoming; 5 kilometers (3 miles) southwest of Wheatland, about 305 meters (1000 feet) west and 290 meters (950 feet) south of the northeast corner of Section 32, T. 24 N, R. 68 W. Hightower quadrangle, 42 degrees 0 minutes 53 seconds north latitude and 105 degrees 1 minute 26 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon: 18 to 25 centimeters (7 to 10 inches) thick.
Depth to the calcic horizon: 18 to 64 (7 to 25 inches).
Moisture control section: dry for more than 60 consecutive days during the 90 day period following the summer solstice
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C. (47 to 51 degrees F.)
Particle size control section:
Clay content 6 to 18 percent:
Fine sand and courser: greater than 35 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent
A horizon:
Value of 3 to 5
Chroma of 2 or 3
Textures: sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Bk horizon:
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, or loam
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent.
2Bk horizon: similar to the Bk horizon except 35 to 50 percent rock fragments
Some pedons have a 2C horizon similar to the 2Bk horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Graystone,
Guy,
Humbarsprings,
Laird and
Sidney soils.
Graystone soils contain less than 35 percent coarse fragments in all horizons.
Humbarsprings soils have strongly contrasting 2C horizons.
Guy soils have a climate that has a more even distribution of precipitation throughout the year.
Laird soils have less than 15 percent coarse fragments throughout the profile.
Sidney soils: have a paralithic contact at 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: alluvial fans, terraces, and hillslopes
Parent material: alluvium derived dominantly from mixed sources
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Elevations: 1311 to 1768 meters (4300 to 5800 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 30 to 38 centimeters (12 to 15 inches
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 9 degrees C. (46 to 48 degrees F.)
Frost-free season: 110 to 130 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Alice,
Featherlegs,
Manter,
Moskee, and
Sweatbee soils.
Alice soils have a particle-size control section that averages less than 15 percent coarse fragments.
Featherlegs, Manter, and Moskee soils have argillic horizons.
Sweatbee soils lack a mollic horizon and do not have horizons with greater than 35 percent coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: low
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: high
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are utilized for grazing by livestock, wildlife habitat, and for dryland and irrigated cropland and hayland.
The native vegetation is needleandthread, prairie sandreed, western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, threadleaf sedge, and silver sagebrush.
Principle crops are wheat, alfalfa, beans, beets, and short season corn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Greenhope soils occur in eastern Wyoming. The series is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Platte County, Wyoming 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches) (Ap)
Calcic horizon: 23 to 152 centimeters (9 to 60 inches) (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3)
SIR- WY1039
MLRR - G
Modified format by LRM in 2/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.