LOCATION PULTNEY            CO+MT
Established Series
Rev. RHM/GB
09/2006

PULTNEY SERIES


The Pultney series consists of moderately deep well drained soils that formed in material high in carbonates and gypsum, which weathered from highly gypsiferous shale. These gently sloping to moderatly steep soils are on upland. Slopes range from 2 to 12 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 36 centimeters (14 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 12 degrees C. (54 degrees F.) at the type location

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Pultney loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable; calcareous moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) thick)

AC--10 to 23 centimeters (4 to 9 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) heavy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) thick)

Ckz--23 to 61 centimeters (9 to 24 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) light clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable; visible calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and probably other salts occurring in fine crystals, as concretions, and in finely divided forms; calcium carbonate equivalent approximately 20 percent; calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 86 centimeters (6 to 34 inches) thick)

Cr--61 to 152 centimeters (24 to 60 inches); partially weathered calcareous gypsiferous shales. Variegated colors ranging from pale yellow (2.5Y 8/3) to light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3).

TYPE LOCATION: Prowers County, Colorado; 0.6 kilometers (0.4 mile) south and 16 meters (51 feet) east of the NW corner of Sec. 18, T. 25 S., R. 47 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: moist in some part for about 65 to 130 days
Depth to a paralithic contact: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to calcic horizon: 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches)
Cation exchange capacity (meq/100gm): 6 to 15
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 13 to 35 percent
Sand content: 15 to 55 percent
Silt content: 20 to 55 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Size: gravel

A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, 3 to 5 moist,
Chroma: 1 to 3.
Organic carbon of the upper 38 centimeters (15 inches): .8 to 2 percent
Texture: loam and clay loam
Clay content: 13 to 35 percent
Exchangeable sodium: 1 to 4 percent within the upper 10 inches of the surface
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Some pedons may have an AC horizon.

C horizon:
Hue: 5Y of 10YR
Value: 6 to 8, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: clay loam and silty clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: approximately 20 percent
Exchangeable sodium: 10 to 15 percent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline
Note: Discontinuous layers of gypsum crystals are present in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: Current Competing series are the Aquima, Atrac, Bullpen, La Fonda, Querencia, Shavano and Zigweid soils
The Aquima, Atrac, La Fonda, Querencia and Zigweid soils do not have a paralithic contact.
The hues of Bullpen soils are not as yellow.
Lithic contact: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) to sandstone bedrock

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: weathered residually from the underlying highly gypsiferous shale
Landform: upland hills and ridges
Slope: 2 to 12 percent
Mean annual temperature: 11 to 15 degrees C. (52 to 59 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 36 centimeters (14 inches)
Precipitation pattern: 20 to 23 centimeters (8 to 9 inches) of which falls during the months of April through August.
Frost-free period: 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kim, Midway, Ordway, Renohill and Shingle soils.
Kim soils lack a paralithic contact within a depth of 40 inches.
Midway and Shingle soils have a paralithic contact within a depth of 20 inches.
Ordway soils have more than 25 percent clay in the series control section.
Renohill soils have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is primarily used for rangeland and wheat production.
Alkali sacaton, blue grama and galleta dominate the rangeland.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Colorado and southeastern Montana. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Prowers County, Colorado, 1963.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this profile are:
Paralithic contact: 61 centimeters (24 inches) (Cr horizon)
Calcic horizon: 23 to 61 centimeters (9 to 24 inches) (Ckz horizon)

OSED scanned by NSSQA and cleaned by Colorado. OSD last revised by state on 9/77.

Updated the classification, competing series and placed in semi-tab format. LRM 03/01

Modified format by LRM in 6/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.