LOCATION LEITER WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Leiter clay loam -- on a east facing slope of 4 percent, utilized as rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine, few medium roots; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, common, fine, and few medium roots; few faint brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--8 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; few faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 8 to 18 inches.)
Btk--17 to 22 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; few distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; common fine irregular light gray (10YR 7/2) carbonate threads and common fine rounded light gray (10YR 7/2) masses of carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bk--22 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium irregular light gray (10YR 7/2) carbonate threads and common fine rounded light gray (10YR 7/2) masses of carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--33 to 60 inches; brownish yellow to grayish brown soft shale; slightly effervescent to about 50 inches and inconsistently effervescent below.
TYPE LOCATION: Campbell County, Wyoming; about 150 feet south and 820 feet east of the northwest corner of section 6, T. 50 N., R. 73 W. 44 degrees 20 minutes 48 seconds north latitude and 105 degrees 41 minutes 17 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to continuous accumulations of calcium carbonate is 9 to 20 inches. Some pedons may be slightly effervescent at a depth of 2 inches where intermittent recharge has occurred. It has 0 to 15 percent angular channers throughout. The moisture control section is usually moist in some or all parts in March through June. The average annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is commonly clay loam or clay and less commonly silty clay or silty clay loam. It has 35 to 55 percent clay and 10 to 25 percent fine and coarser sand. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Btk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is commonly clay loam or clay and less commonly silty clay or silty clay loam. It has 35 to 50 percent clay and 10 to 25 percent fine and coarser sand. It has 4 to 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is commonly clay loam or clay and less commonly loam, silty clay loam or silty clay. It has 4 to 14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Cr horizon consists of shale or interbedded shale and sandstone. It is typically effervescent to a depth of 40 inches or more, but may be noneffervescent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baca, Hesper, Manzanst, Moorhead, Natank and Norrest series. Baca, Hesper, Manzanst and Moorhead soils are very deep. In addition, Manzanst soils also have soil temperatures from 50 to 54 degrees F. Natank soils have a calcic horizon. Norrest soils have carbonates to the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leiter soils are on fan remnants, plateaus, broad ridges, and backslopes, footslopes and toeslopes of hills. They formed in residuum or alluvium over residuum derived from shale or interbedded shale and sandstone. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations are 3,500 to 5,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 19 inches, half of which falls as rain or snow from March through June. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 44 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 105 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Moorhead soils and the Deekay, Echeta, Oldwolf, Samday, Savageton, Spottedhorse and Worfka soils. Deekay and Oldwolf soils are fine-loamy. Echeta soils are very deep, have cambic horizons, and are calcareous throughout. Samday soils are shallow and calcareous throughout. Savageton soils have cambic horizons and are calcareous throughout. Spottedhorse soils have E horizons and an abrupt boundary between the E horizon and the Bt horizon. Worfka soils are shallow.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff, depending on slope; moderately slow to slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are utilized primarily as rangeland, hayland, pasture and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is mainly western wheatgrass and green needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Leiter soils occur in the Powder River basin of north-central and northeastern Wyoming. The series is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Campbell County, Wyoming, Southern Part; 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 3 inches (A)
Argillic horizon - 3 to 22 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk)
Paralithic contact - 37 to 60 inches (Cr)
SIR- WY1379
LRR- G