LOCATION KATAKA COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, micaceous, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kataka very gravelly loam, on a southwest facing, with a Rocky Mountain juniper-mountain muhly plant community, 35 percent slope on a convex mountain slope at an elevation of 7895 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described in August 1988 the soil was dry from 0 to 24 inches.
The surface is covered by 5 percent cobble and 1 percent stone.
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse, common very fine, fine and medium roots; few mica flakes as fine and very fine sand sized particles; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble and 1 percent stone; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
A2--5 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, many very fine, common fine roots; few mica flakes as fine and very fine sand sized particles; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobble, 5 percent stone; neutral; clear irregular boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; common faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; few mica flakes as fine and very fine sand sized particles; 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobble and 10 percent stones; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--18 to 31 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) extremely stony clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common, faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; common, mica flakes as fine and very fine sand sized particles; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobble and 20 percent stones; slightly acid; clear irregular boundary. (2 to 13 inches thick)
Cr--31 to 38 inches; extremely fractured and weathered schist
TYPE LOCATION: Clear Creek County, Colorado; about 1/2 miles southeast of Idaho Springs, Colorado; about 500 feet south and 250 feet east of the northwest corner Section 1, T. 4 S., R. 73 W.; Idaho Springs USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 44 minutes 9.8 seconds N. and long. 105 degrees 30 minutes 40.7 seconds W., NAD 1927
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: Ustic
Mean annual soil temperature: 38 to 45 degrees F
Mean summer soil temperature: 55 to 66 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to interbedded schist and gneiss
Depth to argillic horizon: 5 to 22 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 10 to 15 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Sand content: 30 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent
A horizon(s):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments: 25 to 55 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Bt horizon(s):
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6
Texture: sandy loam modified by rock fragments
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium and colluvium derived from schist, gneiss, and granitic rocks.
Landform: Mountain slopes, ridges, and footslopes.
Slopes: 10 to 70 percent
Elevation: 7200 to 8600 feet
Mean annual temperature: 37 to 43 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 20 inches
Precipitation pattern: Wettest period is: February through May
Driest period is: August to November
Frost-free period: 66 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:. The Rofork soils are shallow to hard granitic rock and are on mountain ridges. The Breece soils very deep and dark colored to 16 inches or more and are on toeslopes, alluvial fans and footslopes. The Lininger soils are moderately deep to weathered gneiss and schist and have 10YR hues throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderate to rapid runoff, moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for big game grazing range, watershed, and recreation. Vegetation includes Ponderosa pine, scattered Rocky Mountain juniper, antelope bitterbrush, mountain mahogany, wax currant, mountain muhlenbergia, Woods rose, prairie junegrass, fringed sage, Arizona fescue, Parry's oatgrass, and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kataka soil is of small extent in central Southern Rockies, Colorado; LRR E, MLRA 48A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clear Creek County, Colorado, Georgetown soil survey area, 2000. The name Kataka comes from a mountain in Clear Creek County, Colorado.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 31 inches. (Bt horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 10 to 31 inches. (Bt horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact of weathered schist or gneiss at 31 inches. (Cr)
Other features: In the cracks of the weathered bedrock, clay has moved and coats the sidewalls of the rock material. This soil has very hard consistency in the lower parts of the Bt subsoil.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
The mineralogy class was changed from paramicaceous to micaceous in 07/2010 by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the responsible MLRA regional office. The change was necessary based on the eleventh edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2010.