LOCATION PICANTE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, shallow Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Picante clay loam - on a southwest facing slope of 10 percent, pinyon-juniper woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5YR 6/4) clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9), clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
C--3 to 14 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0), clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--14 to 18 inches; calcareous grayish yellow soft siltstone and shale.
TYPE LOCATION: La Plata County, Colorado, 2,600 feet north and 900 feet east of the southwest corner of Sec. 18, T. 32 N., R. 11 W. U.S.G.S. Pinkerton Mesa quad; Lat. 37 degrees, 01 minutes, 03 seconds N., and Long. 108 degrees, 05 minutes, 19 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 48 to 53 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 63 to 69 degrees F. Depth to soft bedrock is 10 to 20 inches. The soil is typically calcareous throughout, but some pedons may be leached a few inches. The particle-size control section is clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam, and has 18 to 35 percent clay and has more than 15 percent fine or coarser sand. The moisture control section is dry for 15 consecutive days from May 15 to July 15, when the soil temperature at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. (5 degrees C.). It is not dry in all parts of the moisture control section for at least 45 consecutive days following the summer solstice to October 20, and for at least 90 cumulative days during that period.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 5 through 7, 3 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. The A horizon has 0 to 20 percent gravel and/or cobble.
The C horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 5 through 7, 3 through 6 moist, and chroma of 6. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Canyon (NE), Dulce (CO), Epping (NE), Eslendo (NM), Fairburn (SD), Gerst (UT), Kinusta (AZ), Klondike (AZ), Redarrow (WY), Sandoval (NM), Shingle (WY), Spearfish (SD), Taluce (WY), and Tassel (NE) soils.
Canyon and Gerst soils have 15 to 35 percent sandstone rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Dulce, Kinusta, and Tassel soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Epping soils have many siltstone chips and contain a significant amount of glass shards.
Eslendo soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section most of the time after April 15 to July 1.
Fairburn soils have less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand in the particle-size control section.
Klondike and Redarrow soils have hue of 5YR or redder.
Shingle soils are moist in some part of the moisture control section between May 15 and July 15, and are in a climatic setting that receives about 3/4 of the annual precipitation during the months of April through September, and the PE Index is 19 to 30.
Spearfish soils have hue of 7.5YR or redder, occur at lower elevations, and have less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
Sandoval soils have a mean annual soil temperature greater than 53 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Picante soils are on cuestas and hills at elevations of 5,800 to 6,800 feet. These soils formed in residuum from interbedded siltstone and shale. Slopes are 5 to 45 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 12 to 15 inches. It is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year with May and June being the driest months. Average annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 50 degrees F., and average summer air temperature ranges from 64 to 70 degrees F. The PE Index is about 40 at the type location and ranges from 35 to 50 for the series.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Travessilla and Dulce series. Travessilla soils have a lithic contact at less than 20 inches. Dulce soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability to bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation in Juniper, Pinyon, Big sagebrush, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: La Plata County Area, Colorado, 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized are: an ochric epipedon; a paralithic contact at 14 inches; clay content of 18-35 percent in the particle-size control section; and a mesic temperature regime. Last updated by the state 3/95.