LOCATION OUARD WYTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Typic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Ouard sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; Brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine crumb structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary (1 to 3 inches thick).
B21t--2 to 7 inches; Yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic that parts to moderate fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; thin nearly continuous waxy coatings on all faces of peds; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary (3 to 7 inches thick).
B22t--7 to 11 inches; Brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; thin waxy nearly continuous coatings on all faces of peds; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary (3 to 6 inches thick).
B3ca--11 to 16 inches; Light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; very few roots; thin discontinuous waxy coatings on some faces of peds; calcareous; many coarse threads, seams, and soft rounded masses of secondary lime; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary (3 to 6 inches thick).
C--16 inches plus; Soft, calcareous, olive sandy shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Sublette County, Wyoming; SW1/4, SW1/4, Sec. 29, T31N, R108W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 36 degrees to 47 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 59 degrees to 62 degrees F. Depth to soft shale is 10 to 20 inches. Depth to continuous horizons of secondary calcium carbonate is 7 to 13 inches. Calcium carbonate equivalent is less than 15 percent. Thickness of the solum is 10 to 20 inches and commonly rests on bedded shale. A few pedons have a C horizon above the bedded shale. The A1 horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR; value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist; and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam. It is neutral or mildly alkaline. The B2t horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR; value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist; and chroma of 3 through 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist. It is sandy clay loam averaging between 20 and 28 percent clay and more than 35 percent fine sand or coarser. It commonly has moderate grade prismatic and angular blocky structure. Some pedons have weak or strong prisms. It is neutral or mildly alkaline. The B3ca horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR; value of 5 through 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist; and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same subgroup and family. Similar soils are the tentative Fraddle soils. Fraddle soils have paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ouard soils are on rolling ridges. Slopes are 3 to 10 percent. They formed in residuum weathered from soft,calcareous sandy shale. Mean annual temperature is 34 degrees to 45 degrees F. Precipitation is 6 to 9 inches. Elevation is 6,000 to 7,000 feet. The growing season is 80 to 110 days, but frost may occur in any month.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the tentative Fraddle and tentative Youjay soils. Youjay soils are shallow and have natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is big sagebrush, thickspike wheatgrass, needleleaf sedge, and needleandthread grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Wyoming. The name is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED : Sublette County, Wyoming; 1973. The name is a coined name.
OSED scanned by NSSQA. Last revised by state on 2/73.
REMARKS:
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.