LOCATION PAOLI CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Paoli loam is in cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 38 centimeters (8 to 15 inches) thick)
A1--25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to medium granular; slightly hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 51 centimeters (8 to 20 inches) thick)
A2--51 to 64 centimeters (20 to 25 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 38 centimeters (4 to 15 inches) thick)
Bk1--64 to 102 centimeters (25 to 40 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; s1ightly hard, very friable; strongly effervescent; visible secondary calcium carbonate as streaks and seams; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches) thick)
Bk2--102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few seams of sandy loam and loam; visible secondary calcium carbonate in seams and streaks; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Weld County, Colorado; 229 meters (750 feet) north and 61 meters (200 feet) east of the SW corner of Sec. 19, T. 4 N., R. 68 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 11 degrees C. (49 to 52 degrees F.)
Mollic epipedon: 51 to 127 centimeters (20 to 50 inches) thick
Control section: sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Silt content: 5 to 40 percent
Sand content: 50 to 80 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent in most subhorizons of the control section
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline and has 2 to 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent of the fine earth fraction
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Blendon,
Carthage,
Dalesburg and
Vetal series.
Blendon and Vetal soils are noncalcareous to depths of more than 102 centimeters (40 inches) and lack visible accumulation of secondary calcium carbonate.
Carthage soils have a cambic horizon or characteristics of the mollic epipedon equivalent to a cambic horizon and have noncontrasting loam 2C horizons at depths of less than 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Dalesburg soils have a seasonal high water table is 91 to 183 centimeters (3 to 6 feet).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: river valley
Landform: fans and stream terraces
Slopes: 0 to 9 percent
Parent material: thick calcareous moderately coarse textured alluvium
Mean annual precipitation: 33 to 41 centimeters (13 to 16 inches) with peak periods of precipitation in the spring and early summer
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C. (47 to 52 degrees F.)
Mean summer temperature: 20 to 22 degrees C. (68 to 71 degrees F.)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Caruso and Table Mountian series.
Caruso soils have mollic epipedons less than 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick.
Table Mountain soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high
Runoff: very low to low
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily as irrigated cropland but some areas are dry farmed and some used as rangeland.
Native vegetation is sagebrush, bluestem, cactus, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Larimer County, Colorado, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: (Pachic) 0 to 64 centimeters (0 to 25 inches)
Series last updated by the state 3/94.
Modified format by LRM in 7/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.