LOCATION MEREDITH                CO+UT

Established Series
Rev. RHM/DKA/KLS
11/2022

MEREDITH SERIES

The Meredith series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from latite or similar rock. These soils are on gently sloping to steep alpine hills and ridges above timber line. Slopes are 8 to 70 percent. The average annual precipitation at the type location is 890 mm and the mean annual air temperature is minus 3 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Spodic Humicryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Meredith extremely stony loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; undecomposed organic material, mainly alpine grasses.

Oe--3 to 6 cm; partially decomposed organic material like that of the horizon above.

A--6 to 26 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely stony loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 60 percent stones; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bs--26 to 56 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely stony loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 70 percent stones; dark organic staining on the underside of stones; dark brown pellets throughout the soil mass; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 46 cm thick)

C--56 to 81 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely stony loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 70 percent stones; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 71 cm thick)

Cr--81 to 106 cm; fragmental accumulation of fractured latite; 80 to 90 percent flagstones with individual flagstones overlapping, leaving interstices that are not completely filled with finer material.

TYPE LOCATION: Hinsdale County, Colorado; northwest of Devils Lake in the SE1/4 Sec. 32, T. 45 N., R. 3 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--minus 1 degree C
Mean summer soil temperature--8 degrees C
Thickness of umbric epipedon--18 to 40 cm
Thickness of solum--30 to 60 cm
Depth to fragmental substratum--50 to 100 cm
Organic carbon in the umbric epipedon--1 to 14 percent and decreases uniformly with increasing depth
Base saturation--30 to 50 percent in the A and upper B horizons but increases with increasing depth in some pedons

Particle-size control section:
Texture--loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--18 to 35 percent
Silt content--5 to 55 percent
Sand content--20 to 75 percent
Rock fragment content--35 to 80 percent above the Cr horizon and these range in size from pebbles to stones

A horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 through 3
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 5.5

Bs horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 5YR
Value--5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 through 6
Typically, this horizon has redder hue than either the overlying or underlying horizon.
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 6.5

C horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 7.3
In some pedons the C horizon is absent and the solum overlies the fragmental substratum.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bross, Mirror, Penitente and Ptarmigan series. Bross and Penitente soils have no contrasting fragmental substratums. Mirror and Ptarmigan soils have a lithic contact at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Also, Ptarmigan soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--gently sloping to very steep alpine hills and ridges
Elevation--3350 to 3850 meters
Slope--8 to 70 percent
Parent material--residuum from highly fractured fragmental beds of latite or similar rock
Mean annual precipitation--890 mm with peak periods of precipitation occurring during the winter and is mainly in the form of snow
Mean annual air temperature--minus 3 degrees C
Mean summer air temperature--7 degrees C
Frost-free period--10 to 30 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to slow runoff; rapid permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally as native pastureland and for recreational purposes. Native vegetation is mainly alpine bluegrass, mosses, silver cinquefoil, sedges and alpine willow.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Meredith soils are moderately extensive in the alpine areas of central Colorado and eastern Utah; MLRA 48A.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hinsdale County, Colorado, 1974

REMARKS: Converted to metric, updated formatting, and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 11/2022

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.