LOCATION MUGHOUSE CO+NM WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Mughouse loam - grassland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 15 percent flagstones; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
B1--4 to 7 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to strong fine and very fine angular blocks; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; peds are very hard; thin glossy patched on the faces of peds and discontinuous glossy coatings in some root channels and pores; 25 percent flagstones; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
B2t--7 to 20 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) heavy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure that parts to strong fine angular blocks; slightly hard very friable, sticky, plastic; peds are extremely hard; thin nearly continuous wax-like coatings on the faces of peds and wax-like coatings and fillings on the inside of root channels and pores; wax-like rims around the entrance to some soil pores; 25 percent flagstones; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 34 inches thick)
B3--20 to 24 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) heavy clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky, plastic; peds are extremely hard; few thin was-like patches on some faces of peds and discontinuous glossy coatings on the inside of root channels and pores; 25 percent flagstones; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8;); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
R--24 to 40 inches; hard noncalcareous sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; approximately 1,000 feet south and 110 feet east of N1/4 corner Sec. 30, T. 35 N., R. 15 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually noncalcareous through except that very thin, discontinuous, weakly calcareous subhorizons occur just above the bedrock in some pedons. Depth to the lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 12 to 40 inches. ESP either remains constant or increases with depth, and ranges from 0 to 15 percent in the solum. A majority of the subhorizons above the bedrock have hue of 7.5YR or yellower, although a few subhorizons are redder than 7.5YR in some pedons. Rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent by volume in a major part of the solum and any C horizon above the bedrock and are mainly 10 to 24 inches in diameter and are mostly flat flagstones.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 4. This horizon ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).
The B2t horizon has hue of 5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. Subhorizons redder than 7.5YR occur in some pedons. This horizon is heavy clay loam or light clay but ranges in clay from 35 to 50 percent, silt from 5 to 45 percent, and sand from 15 to 55 percent with more than 15 percent being fine or coarser sand. It is slightly acid to mildly alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agua Fria, Arp, Bacid, Bessemer, Falfa, Manzanola, Mughut, Rencalson, Renohill, Ulm, Winklo, and Wyarno series.
Aqua Fria, Bacid, Manzanola, Rencalson, Renohill, Ulm, Winklo and Wyarno soils do not have lithic contacts within a depth of 40 inches. Rencalson, Renohill, and Winklo soils have a paralithic contacts at depths of less than 40 inches.
Arp soils have hue of 5YR or redder in a majority of subhorizons above the bedrock and have less than 15 percent rock fragments, mainly gravel and cobbles in the control section.
Bessemer soils have a loamy-skeletal substratum at depths of 11 to 20inches.
Falfa soils have hue of 5YR or redder in the Bt and below.
Mughut soils are dry in some parts of the moisture control section more than 90 cumulative days when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 41 degrees F. or more. Mughut soils also have soil temperatures of 41 degrees F. or more for less than 210 days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Mughouse soils are on gently to moderately sloping mesa tops, hills, and ridges. Slopes typically range from 2 to 12 percent or more. The soils formed in moderately thin, moderately fine to fine textured, noncalcareous materials weathered in plasce from interbedded sandstone and shale with a base of hard sandstone occurring at depth of less than 40 inches. At the type location the mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches with nearly equal amounts of precipitation in all months. Mean annual temperature is 50 degrees F. and mean summer temperature is 70 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chapin and Roubideau soils. Chapin soils have a mollic epipedon, hue of 5YR, and are calcareous in the lower part of the solum or in the C horizon. Roubideau soils have hue of 5YR or redder, are moderately fine textured, and are calcareous in the lower part of the solum or in the C horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or slow runoff; moderate or slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as grazing land or for recreation. Native vegetation is oak brush, western wheatgrass, and needleandthread grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mesa Verde Area, Colorado, 1964
REMARKS: Last updated by the state 4/73. Classification updated due to changes in Soil Taxonomy. 3/01. Competing series section updated to current classification. 3/01