LOCATION KAVA COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, calcareous, mesic, shallow Vertic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Kava silty clay loam, on a north facing, 3 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 5,040 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by 5 percent sandstone and limestone gravel.
A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) silty clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots throughout; 2 percent sandstone gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
C1--2 to 5 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots throughout; few distinct pressure faces on faces of peds; few fine irregular nests and masses of gypsum; 1 percent sandstone gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
C2--5 to 10 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) silty clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots between peds and throughout; few distinct pressure faces on faces of peds; common fine irregular nests and few fine irregular masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary.
C3--10 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots between peds; few distinct pressure faces on faces of peds; few fine irregular nests and masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
Cr--15 to 27 inches; soft Mancos Shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; about 20 miles southwest of Towaoc, Colorado; Sentinel Peak Southwest, Colorado USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 06 minutes 55 seconds N. and long. 108 degrees 58 minutes 31 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: Typic aridic
Mean annual soil temperature: 54 to 58 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 10 to 20 inches to Mancos shale
Depth to gypsum accumulations: 2 to 5 inches
Vertic features: Surface cracks 6 to 10 inches deep, 1 inch wide, 12 inches apart. Linear extensibility of greater than 6 cm. based on NSSL of adjacent soil (Cole .126).
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sedimentary gravel
A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3
Texture: silty clay loam
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone and limestone gravel
SAR: 1 to 13
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Cy horizon
Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay, silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone and limestone gravel
Pararock fragments: 5 to 15 percent shale fragments
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 2 to 8
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent
SAR: 13 to 30
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium and residuum derived from Mancos Shale
Landform: fan piedmonts and knobs
Slopes: 1 to 12 percent
Elevation: 4,700 to 5,700 feet
Mean annual temperature: 52 to 56 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 7 to 10 inches
Precipitation pattern: uniform with slight dip in May and June and slight increase in July and August
Frost-free period: 135 to 160 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cowboy and Oagamati series. The Cowboy soils are very deep and are on alluvial fans. The Oagamati soils are moderately deep and are on pediments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high or very high runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Kava soils are used for rangeland. Native vegetation is bottlebrush squirreltail, Gardner saltbush, and little barley.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Montezuma County, Colorado, Ute Mountain Indian Reservation. MLRA 35. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Montezuma County, Colorado, Ute Mountain Area, Colorado and New Mexico, 2005.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 25 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 15 inches. (C3 horizon)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)
Paralithic contact: The contact with Mancos Shale at 15 inches. (Cr horizon)
Vertic features: The presence of prismatic structure and significant cracks at 0 to 10 inches. (A, C1, and C2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: A HACH kit was used to determine gypsum concentrations. A portable EC meter was used to determine electrical conductivity. Calcium carbonate equivalence was determined using a field volume calcimeter.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003