LOCATION LAKE CREEK              WY+CO+MT

Established Series
Rev. PSD-JAL-EMM
04/2013

LAKE CREEK SERIES

The Lake Creek series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone, shale, and argillite. Lake Creek soils occur on uplands, hillslopes, mountain slopes, and landslide deposits. Slopes are 15 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 20 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 37 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Ustic Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Lake Creek loam-woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oi--0 to 2 inches; undecomposed needles, bark, and twigs.

Oe--2 to 3 inches; partially decomposed organic material.

A--3 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

E--4 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate fine platy structure parting to fine granular; vesicular; soft, very friable; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bt1--9 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable; continuous faint clay films on faces of peds and rock fragments; 50 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 20 inches thick)

Bt2--23 to 33 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely stony loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 70 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)

R--33 inches; sandstone, partly fractured and weathered but containing less than 5 percent fine materials; very weakly calcareous in places. (Several feet thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Sheridan County, Wyoming; near the southwest corner of sec. 14, T. 56 N., R. 89 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 15 to 35 inches thick. Depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature ranges from 53 to 57 degrees F.

E horizon
Hue - 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4, moist or dry
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

Bt horizon
Hue - 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6, moist or dry
Texture - typically clay loam
Fine earth fractions - 22 to 35 percent clay, 15 to 45 percent silt, and 25 to 55 percent sand
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent coarse fragments, mainly stones.
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

COMPETING SERIES:
Cadotte (MT) - are very deep
Cloud Peak (WY) - has a horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation
Cundiyo (NM) - are very deep
Edloe (CO) - has E horizons greater than 10 inches thick
Fulvance (CO) - are very deep
Goosepeak (CO) - are very deep
Guffey (CO) - are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact
Hyattvile (WY) - has a horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation
Kimpton (MT) - has a horizon of secondary carbonate accumulation
Lakehelen (WY) - has an E horizon with sandy loam or fine sandy loam textures
Laveta (CO) - has an E horizon with fine sandy loam textures
Lulude (CO) - has an E/B horizon
Reinecker (CO) - are very deep
Tepecreek (MT) - are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lake Creek soils occur on uplands, hillslopes, mountain slopes, and landslide deposits at elevations of 4,500 to 7,200 feet. Slopes are 15 to 60 percent. They formed in colluvium and residuum from sandstone, shale, and argillite. Annual precipitation is 16 to 24 inches. The mean annual temperature is 34 to 41 degrees F. The average summer temperature is 54 degrees F. Frost free season is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nielsen, Passcreek, and Woodrock soils. Nielsen and Passcreek soils do not have E horizons and are on ridges and mountain slopes. Woodrock soils have a fine-loamy control section and are on hills, ridges and mountain slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately permeable.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production and grazing. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, spruce, and lodgepole pine with an understory of grasses and shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Wyoming, Central Montana, and north-central Colorado. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs 34A, 43B, 44B, 48A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sheridan County, Wyoming; 1932.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.