LOCATION HUGUSTON WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid, shallow Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Huguston sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; strongly effervescent, lime disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
C--3 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots to 14 inches; strongly effervescent, lime disseminated and as few discontinuous soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 18 inches thick)
Cr--16 to 60 inches; soft olive brown calcareous sandstone. Bedrock is massive and weakly consolidated with thin strata of sandy shale. Carbonates are common throughout the rock mass and also occur as spheroids and seams.
TYPE LOCATION: Carbon County Wyoming; about 800 feet southwest of the northeast corner, sec. 14, T. 19 N., R. 87 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock and the paralithic contact ranges from 4 to 20 inches. These soils are typically calcareous throughout but are leached a few inches in some pedons. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 39 to 46 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature ranges from 59 to 64 degrees F. The particle size control section is a fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam with 5 to 18 percent clay, 5 to 40 percent silt, and 45 to 80 percent sand with more than 35 percent fine sand or coarser. Coarse fragments consist of soft and hard sandstone channers and range from 0 to 20 percent. About half the coarse fragments break down upon pretreatment or are easily crushed by hand. Exchangeable sodium ranges from 0 to 15 percent. EC is 2 to 4 mmhos throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 4. Reaction is mildly or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. Minor segregation of carbonates occurs in some pedons, but segregated lime does not exceed 2 to 4 percent. Total carbonates range from 2 to 10 percent throughout. Reaction is mildly or moderately alkaline. An AC horizon is present in about one-third of the pedons and when present has the same morphological characteristics as the C horizon except for structure.
The Cr horizon consists of soft, calcareous sandstone. The material is weakly cemented and does restrict most roots. The soil-bedrock interface is considered to be a paralithic contact. Discontinuous lenses of lithic sandstone occur throughout the bedded material. When exposed, the bedrock becomes extremely hard.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Coaldraw, Hatermus, and Haterton series. All of these soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the control section. Coaldraw soils contain from 5 to 35 percent gypsum throughout. Hatermus soils contain over 15 percent exchangeable sodium throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Huguston soils are on rock controlled uplands. They formed in residuum and colluvial slopewash weathered from calcareous sandstone. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 6,400 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and ranges from 5 to 10 inches. About half falls as snow or rain in April, May, and early June. The mean annual temperature is 38 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is estimated to range from 60 to 95 days depending upon aspect, elevation, and air drainage.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Edlin and competing Haterton soils. The Edlin soils are deeper than 20 inches and have developed B horizons. They occur more on the toeslopes and lower footslopes of hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is slow to rapid depending upon slope; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of needleandthread, Indian ricegrass, big sagebrush, and thickspike wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central and southwestern Wyoming. The soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Wyoming; 1972.
REMARKS:
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.