LOCATION PENROSE CO+KS NE NM SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, mesic Lithic Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Penrose channery loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) channery loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 25 percent channers; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C--4 to 15 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) channery loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 20 percent limestone channers; calcareous; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
R--15 inches; limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Fremont County, Colorado; about 0.1 mile east of "K" Street and about 125 feet north of Highway No. 115 six feet from fence in the southeast quarter of Sec. 21, T. 18 S., R. 68 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist intermittently April through August; aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 52 to 59 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 68 to 76 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches to limestone
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to about 5 inches and is not more than 1/4 the thickness of the control section
Gypsum content: 0 to 1.5 percent by weight
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 75 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 14 millimhos/cm in a major part of the control section
Continuous subhorizons of secondary calcium carbonate and/or sulfate do not occur within the control section although some visible accumulation occurs in some pedons
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 15 to 70 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent, dominantly to 10 inches in diameter.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5Y
Value: 5 through 8, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 35 to 70 percent
Reaction: mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5Y
Textures of the fine earth fraction: loam, silt loam, clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 75 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are presently no competing series in this family. Welring is similar, but in the loamy-skeletal family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum and slope alluvium derived from limestone and interbedded limy materials.
Landform: hills, mesas, and ridges
Slopes: 1 to 65 percent
Elevation: 3,000 to 6,500 feet
Mean annual temperature: 50 to 53 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 11 to 15 inches
Precipitation pattern: peak periods between April and August, dries between November and February
Frost-free period: 125 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Manvel and Minnequa soils. Manvel soils have no bedrock above a depth of 40 inches. Minnequa soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well or somewhat exessivly drained, low through very rapid runoff, moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally as grazing land. Native
vegetation is pinyon, juniper, blue grama, cactus, and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Colorado and southern Wyoming; LRR E, MLRA 69 and 67; large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Arkansas Valley Area, 1936.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 15 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 0 to 15 inches. (A and C horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Lithic contact: The contact with limestone at 15 inches. (R horizons)
Other features: Carbonatic mineralogy
Remarks: This revision is a change to the semitabular format.
Taxonomic Version: Ninth Edition, 2003
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory pedons sampled; 96CO071005, 96CO071011.