LOCATION MCCOOLEY SD+WY

Established Series
JWW
09/2011

MCCOOLEY SERIES

The McCooley series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in residuum and/or locally derived eolian material from noncalcareous sandstone. McCooley soils are on summits and shoulders of ridges and backslopes of hillslopes in mountains. Slopes range from 3 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 610 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Lamellic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: McCooley loamy fine sand, on a southwest facing, linear slope of 10 percent in a mixed community of ponderosa pine and grasses at an elevation of about 1,580 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on October 16, 2006 the soil was moist throughout.

Oa--0 to 2 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) to black (10YR 2/1) highly decomposed herbaceous and coniferous plant litter. (2 to 4 cm thick)

A1--2 to 10 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft to loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 3 to 4 percent, 2 to 5 mm charred wood fragments in the upper 4 cm; many very fine and fine and few medium roots throughout; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

A2--10 to 31 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots throughout; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 0 to 36 cm)

E1--31 to 65 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sand, pink (7.5YR 7/4) dry; structureless; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots throughout; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

E2--65 to 97 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sand, pink (5YR 7/4) dry; structureless; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; slightly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 30 to 66 cm)

E and Bt1--97 to 154 cm; about 75 percent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) fine sand, pink (5YR 7/4) dry, and 25 percent red (2.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam lamella occurring in bands 2.5 to 6 cm thick, light red (2.5YR 6/6) dry; structureless (E part), weak medium subangular blocky (Bt part); loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic (E part), soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic (Bt part); 90 percent faint reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films bridging sand grains (Bt part); few very fine and fine roots; common fine discontinuous tubular pores (Bt part); slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.

E and Bt2--154 to 190 cm; about 85 percent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) fine sand, pink (5YR 7/4) dry, and 15 percent red (2.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam lamella occurring in bands 2 to 5 cm thick, light red (2.5YR 6/6) dry; structureless (E part), weak medium and fine subangular blocky (Bt part); loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic (E part), slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic (Bt part); 75 percent faint reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films bridging sand grains (Bt part); few very fine roots; common fine discontinuous tubular pores (Bt part); slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E&Bt horizon is 60 to 100 cm)

Cr--190 to 200 cm; moderately to strongly cemented light brown (7.5YR 6/4), light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) and pink (5YR 8/4) dry; noneffervescent sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Crook County, Wyoming; about 7 miles south-southeast of Beulah; located about 500 feet west and 1,080 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec. 4, T. 51 N., R. 60 W.; Tinton USGS quad; 44 degrees 26 minutes 30.4 seconds N. latitude and 104 degrees 3 minutes 27.3 seconds W. longitude; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to lamellae: 66 to 102 cm
Thickness of the lamellae: typically 0.75 to 5 cm; cumulative thickness of lamellae is 10 to 25 cm

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 2 or 3, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: LFS, FS
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

E horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: LFS, FS
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent weakly to very strongly cemented angular sandstone gravel
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

E&Bt horizon:
The E part of the horizon has the same characteristics as the E horizon; the Bt part is described as follows:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: SL, FSL
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent weakly to very strongly cemented angular sandstone gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Cr horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: unweathered sandstone of the Minnelusa formation.
Calcium carbonate: typically noncalcareous; although some pedons are slightly effervescent in the Cr horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in this taxonomic family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Residuum or wind reworked local eolian deposits derived from multi-colored Minnelusa sandstone.
Landform: Ridges and hillslopes in mountains
Slopes: 3 to 60 percent
Elevation: typically 1,400 to 1,890 meters; mapped as a cool phase up to 2,070 meters
Mean annual temperature: 5 to 8 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 508 to 712 millimeters
Precipitation pattern: In most years, half or more of the annual precipitation occurs as snow and rain from March through July.
Frost-free period: 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Citadel, Danjay(T), and Tollflat(T) series.
Citadel and Tollflat - have fine-textured argillic horizons. They occur on similar landforms, generally below McCooley soils
Danjay - are moderately deep and lack lamellae. They occur on similar landforms as McCooley soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Excessively drained; slow to rapid runoff, depending on slope; high saturated hydraulic conductivity above the lamellae, and moderately high within lamellae.

USE AND VEGETATION: McCooley soils are wooded and utilized for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and lumber production. The native vegetation consists of an overstory of ponderosa pine and quaking aspen; understory species include needleandthread, little bluestem, porcupine grass, spirea, and eriogonum.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: McCooley soils occur on the Low Limestone Plateau physiographic area in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming; LRR G, MLRA 62; the series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES PROPOSED: Extensive update of the Soil Survey of Lawrence County, South Dakota, 2007. The name is coined.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (A2, E1, E2, and E&Bt1 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 2 to 97 cm. (A1, A2, E1, and E2 horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 97 to 190 cm. (E&Bt1 and E&Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 190 cm. (Cr horizon)
Other features: Lamellae, from 97 to 190 cm. (E&Bt1 and E&Bt2 horizons)

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Ed., 2010

ADDITIONAL DATA:

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.