LOCATION PIMSBY COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lamellic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Pimsby sandy loam - on a 12 percent slope in an area of woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles and twigs. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A--1 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
E--5 to 14 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly loamy coarse sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 22 inches thick)
E and Bt--14 to 24 inches; 70 percent E part: light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; 30 percent Bt with lamellae: light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; lamellae of Bt are mainly about one-fourth to one-half inch thick and are approximately horizontal except along remnant root channels; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Bt and E--24 to 47 inches; 70 percent Bt with lamellae: light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; 30 percent E part: light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse platy structure in some parts and weak coarse subangular blocky structure in other parts; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; lamellae of Bt are mainly about one-fourth to one-half inch thick and approximately horizontal except along remnant root channels and as coatings on pebbles; 45 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
C--47 to 60 inches; stratified reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly loamy coarse sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist, and light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; strata are about 1 to 6 inches thick; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Teller County, Colorado; about 2 miles north of Woodland Park; about 2,500 feet south and 800 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 1, T. 12 S., R. 69 W.; Mount Deception USGS quad; latitude: 39 degrees, 2 minutes, 12 seconds north; longitude: 105 degrees, 3 minutes, 11 seconds west; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is dry in some part in late spring and early summer following snowmelt, moist in late July and August, and intermittently dry in fall; ustic regime bordering on udic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 44 to 46 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 59 to 65 degrees F.
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 3 to 5 inches
Depth to the argillic horizon: 8 to 28 inches
Gravel is dominantly fine gravel
Sand fraction: dominantly angular, but mica sand is common
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 7 to 14 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 45 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR through 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry
Clay content: 7 to 18 percent
Gravel content: 5 to 14 percent
E horizon:
Value: 5 through 7 dry; 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent
Gravel content: 15 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)
E part of E and Bt and Bt and E horizons:
Value: 5 through 7 dry; 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent
Gravel content: 35 to 55 percent
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)
Bt part of E and Bt and Bt and E horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content: 7 to 18 percent
Gravel content: 35 to 55 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)
C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 through 6 dry; 3 through 6 moist
Texture: gravelly sandy clay loam, stratified gravelly loamy coarse sand to gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 35 percent
Gravel content: 15 to 34 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid (pH 5.1 to 6.5)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Palon and Espanola series. These series have hue in the Bt that is yellower than 5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium from arkose, typically derived from the Fountain Formation.
Landform: hills on half grabens
Slopes: 5 to 40 percent
Elevation: 8,200 to 8,600 feet
Mean annual temperature: 42 to 44 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 20 to 22 inches
Precipitation pattern: Monthly precipitation is lowest in winter and greatest in July and August.
Frost-free period: 80 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Plome soils. Plome soils have an argillic horizon that is not composed of lamellae and average less than 35 percent gravel by volume in the family particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for urban land, livestock grazing, and recreation. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine and some Douglas-fir and quaking aspen with an understory of Arizona fescue, common juniper, pine dropseed, kinnikinnick, sedges, mountain muhly, and prairie junegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Colorado; LRR E, MLRA 48A; The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Teller County (Teller-Park Soil Survey Area), Colorado, 2010. The name is coined.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 60 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the E, E and Bt, and part of the Bt and E horizons)
Ochric epipedon: from 1 to 5 inches. (A horizon)
Albic horizon: from 5 to 14 inches. (E horizon)
Argillic horizon composed of lamellae: from 14 to 47 inches. (E and Bt, Bt and E horizons)
There is some nearby data in this parent material that indicates the CE activity class is active and perhaps semiactive. This needs to be investigated.
Taxonomic Version: classified according to the Eleventh edition, 2010.