LOCATION MEDRICK COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy Vitrandic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Medrick sandy loam - on a 3 percent slope in an area of native grassland at an elevation of 9,340 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) Described on August 4, 1988.
A1--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--4 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A horizons is 7 to 10 inches)
Bw1--7 to 14 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--14 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy clay loam; brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 0 to 16 inches)
Bk--20 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very paragravelly ashy sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; 40 percent moderately cemented tuff paragravel; common fine carbonate masses in the matrix; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C1--31 to 35 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) ashy coarse sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; 3 percent moderately cemented tuff paragravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary.
C2--35 to 61 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very paragravelly ashy sandy clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; 40 percent moderately cemented tuff paragravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the C horizons is 20 to 40 inches)
Cr--61 to 71 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moderately cemented tuff.
TYPE LOCATION: Park County, Colorado; about 14 miles south of Hartsel; about 2,600 feet north and 800 feet west of the southeast corner of Sec. 24, T. 14 S., R. 76 W. (latitude: 38 degrees, 49 minutes, 01 seconds N; longitude: 105 degrees, 50 minutes, 13 seconds W) NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry in late spring and early summer, moist in some part in late July and August, and intermittently dry in fall; ustic regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 37 to 41 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 51 to 58 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 7 to 10 inches
Thickness of the cambic horizon: 0 to 16 inches
Thickness of volcanic glass layers: 60 to 80 inches
Depth to paralithic contact: 60 to 80 inches
Depth to secondary carbonate accumulations: 7 to 29 inches
Lithology of rock fragments: mixed volcanics
Particle-size control section (in the thickest part):
Coarse silt plus sand content: 60 to 80 percent
Glass content: 40 to 75 percent
Rock fragment content: 10 to 15 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Volcanic glass content: 25 to 40 percent
Acid oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe: .10 to .25 percent
Gravel content: 0 to 15 percent, indurated
Organic matter content: 1.0 to 4.0 percent
Bw horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Texture: gravelly ashy sandy loam, gravelly ashy sandy clay loam
Clay content: 10 to 30 percent
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 75 percent
Acid oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe: .10 to .25 percent
Gravel content: 15 to 35 percent, indurated
Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry; 2 to 4 moist
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 75 percent
Acid oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe: 0.0 to .05 percent
Fragment content, total: 40 to 60 percent
Fragment size and content: 5 to 15 percent indurated gravel; 35 to 45 percent moderately cemented tuff paragravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.4)
C horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry; 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Texture: ashy coarse sand, very paragravelly ashy sandy clay loam, very paragravelly ashy sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 30 percent
Volcanic glass content: 40 to 75 percent
Acid oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe: 0.0 to .05 percent
Fragment content, total: 5 to 60 percent
Fragment size and content: 5 to 15 percent indurated gravel; 0 to 45 percent moderately cemented tuff paragravel
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline (pH 7.9 to 9.0)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Anniecreek,
Bigbutte,
Bodiecreek,
Brownsbowl,
Cadero,
Hallet, and
Pannfield series.
Anniecreek soils have a mollic epipedon 20 to 35 inches thick.
Bigbutte, Cadero, and Pannfield soils are moderately deep to bedrock.
Bodiecreek, Brownsbowl, and Hallet soils have a xeric soil moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium derived from tuff
Landform: pediments
Slopes: 2 to 15 percent
Elevation: 9,000 to 9,600 feet
Mean annual temperature: 35 to 39 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 10 to 16 inches
Precipitation pattern:
Frost-free period: 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gebson, Levenmile, and Temdille soils. These soils do not have significant amounts of volcanic glass. The Gebson soils have an argillic horizon. Temdille soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing. Native vegetation consists of Arizona fescue, prairie junegrass, western wheatgrass, blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, needleandthread, and slimstem muhly.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Intermontane basins and valleys of Central Colorado; LRR E; MLRA 48B; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Park County, Colorado, 2010, Teller-Park soil survey area. The name is coined.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (part of Bw1, Bw2, Bk, C1, part of C2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with moderately cemented tuff at 61 inches. (Cr layer)
Secondary carbonate accumulations: from 20 to 31 inches. (Bk horizon)
Mollic epipedon: from 0 to 7 inches. (A1, A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon: from 7 to 20 inches. (Bw1, Bw2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature: Throughout the upper 30 inches (A1, A2, Bw1, Bw2, Bk horizons)
Taxonomic Version: Eleventh edition Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2010
ADDITIONAL DATA: This pedon was sampled by the NSSL, soil survey sample number S88-CO-093-008, NSSL Pedon number 0985.