LOCATION GUFFEY COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Ustic Haplocryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Guffey very gravelly sandy loam - coniferous forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed organic material, chiefly needles, bark and twigs.
A--1 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 45 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 55 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Bt--14 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many thin clay films on faces of peds and rock fragments; 75 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
BC--24 to 31 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 75 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Cr--31 to 41 inches; weakly or moderately cemented, partially weathered granodiorite (grus).
TYPE LOCATION: Fremont County, Colorado; about 12 miles east of Salida; about 1,400 feet north and 2,400 feet west of the southeast corner of Sec. 17, T. 49 N., R. 11 E.; Howard USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 29 minutes 44 seconds N. and long. 105 degrees 01 minutes 30 seconds W. (estimated), NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Depths given are measured from the mineral soil surface)
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently dry in early summer and fall, and moist in late summer; udic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Thickness of the ochric epipedon: 8 to 14 inches
Depth to the argillic horizon: 9 to 15 inches
Base Saturation: 60 to 100 percent throughout
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 37 to 44 degrees F
The sand fraction is dominantly medium and coarse angular sand
Lithology of rock fragments: granodiorite, granite
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 35 to 75 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 85 percent
Mica content: 10 to 45 percent
Oe and A horizons are generally present, but are absent in some pedons.
E horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Fine earth fraction: sandy loam or coarse sandy loam
Texture: very gravelly sandy loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly coarse sandy loam
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 85 percent, mainly fine and medium gravel
Reaction: very strongly acid through neutral
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: extremely gravelly or very gravelly; sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Silt content: 5 to 30 percent
Sand content: 35 to 75 percent, with a high proportion of medium and coarse sand
Rock fragment content: 35 to 85 percent, mainly fine and medium gravel
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
BC horizon (not in all pedons):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Texture: extremely gravelly or very gravelly, coarse sandy loam or loamy sand Clay content: less than 18 percent clay
Rock fragment content: 35 to 85 percent, mainly fine and medium gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES:
Cadotte (MT),
Cundiyo (NM),
Fris,
Fulvance,
Goosepeak (CO),
Reinecker -very deep
Cloud Peak (WY),
Hyattville (WY),
Kimpton (MT),
Lake Creek (WY),
Lakehelen (WY),
Lulude (CO),
Laveta,
Tepecreek (MT)-have a lithic contact
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Guffey soils are on mountain slopes and ridges. Slopes are typically 5 to 60 percent. These soils are formed in colluvium over residuum derived from granodiorite and granite, commonly of the Pikes Peak Formation. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 25 inches. Mean annual air temperature is 37 to 40 degrees F. The frost-free season is 50 to 95 days. Elevation ranges from 8,000 to 10,900 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Granile, Raleigh, and Rogert soils. Granile soils lack a paralithic contact above a depth of 40 inches. Raleigh soils have a mollic epipedon and a paralithic contact above a depth of 20 inches. Rogert soils have a mollic epipedon and a lithic contact above a depth of 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to high runoff; permeability is moderately rapid. Pedons with higher clay approaching 35 percent have moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland and for recreation. Native vegetation is mainly Douglas-fir and a sparse understory of elk sedge, true mountain mahogany, Arizona fescue, kinnikinnick, and common juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain areas of central Colorado; MLRA 48A. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pike National Forest, East part Soil Survey Area, Colorado 1984. The type location is in the Fremont County Area, Colorado. The name is taken from a town in the southern part of Park County, Colorado.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: the zone from 0 to 41 inches.
Particle-size control section: the zone from 14 to 24 inches. (entire argillic horizon)
Ochric epipedon: 1 to 3 inches. (E horizon)
Argillic horizon: from 14 to 24 inches. (Bt horizon)
Paralithic contact: at 31 inches (top of the Cr layer).
When this series was established the subgroup classification was Typic Cryoboralfs.