LOCATION PLEASANT CO+KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Torrertic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Pleasant loam is in a grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches) thick)
BA--13 to 23 centimeters (5 to 9 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; moderate cracks between peds when dry; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and few faint clay films on the inside of some root channels and pores; neutral (pH 7.2), gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches) thick)
Bt1--23 to 102 centimeters (9 to 40 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; wide cracks between peds when dry; very hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and clay films filling on the inside of root channels and pores; clay films as rims around the entrance to soil pores; few glossy slickensides; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (30 to 102 centimeters (12 to 40 inches) thick)
Bt2--102 to 127 centimeters (40 to 50 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; wide cracks between peds when dry; hard, firm, sticky plastic; few faint clay films on faces of peds and clay films as coatings and fillings on the inside of root channels and pores; few glossy slickensides; some openings between peds are filled with dark colored material from overlying horizons; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 64 centimeters (0 to 25 inches) thick)
Bt3--127 to 137 centimeters (50 to 54 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few faint clay films on some faces of peds and clay films coating on the inside of some root channels and pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches) thick)
2C--137 to 152 centimeters (54 to 60 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam stratified with clay loam and loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; effervescent in at least the upper part but grades to slightly effervescent material with increasing depth; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Phillips County, Colorado; 322 meters (1,056 feet) east and 8 meters (25 feet) south of NW corner Sec. 4, T. 6 N., R. 45 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 12 degrees C. (48 to 54 degrees F.)
Depth to uniformly calcareous material: 127 to 152 centimeters (50 to 60 inches) or more.
Mollic epipedon: 51 to 127 centimeters (20 to 50 inches) thick.
Depth to the argillic horizon base: 76 to 152 centimeters (30 to 60 inches) or more.
Mottles: few faint with chroma of more than 2 in both matrix and mottling
Rock fragments: 0 to about 5 percent by volume in the solum and they are mainly 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter
Stratified 2C horizon: absent in some pedons
Underlain soil layer: uniform loam, silt loam, clay loam or silty clay loam
Buried soil horizons: occur inconsistently in the solum lower part and in the C horizons in some pedons
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: clay, silty clay loam, or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Silt content: 15 to 55 percent
Sand content: 5 to 50 percent, with less than 15 percent being fine or coarser sand
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
C or 2C horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Texture loam, clay loam, silty loam, or silty clay loam
Reaction: normally neutral or slightly alkaline in the upper part but tends to become more alkaline with increasing depths
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Denver,
Englewood,
Kutch and
Zella (T) series.
Denver soils have sola less than 127 centimeters (50 inches) thick to the base of the argillic horizon and have mollic epipedons less than 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick.
Englewood soils are calcareous in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon and have continuous horizons of secondary carbonate accumulation.
Kutch soils have bedrock at depths of less than 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Zella soils formed in eolian loess deposits of Holocene age and are on nearly level plains.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: drains or depressions in fans and outwash pediments
Slopes: typically 0 to 6 percent
Parent materials: thick, noncalcareous, silty, moderately fine to fine textured materials derived as local alluvium from eolian deposits, silty sedimentary rocks, or adjacent soils
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 43 centimeters (14 to 17 inches) with peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and early summer
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C. (46 to 52 degrees F.)
Mean summer temperature: 21 to 23 degrees C. (68 to 73 degrees F.)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Platner and
Rago soils.
Rago and Platner soils have horizons of carbonate accumulation.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well to moderately well drained
Runoff: medium to ponded
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: low
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as grazing land or as irrigated or dry cropland.
Native vegetation is mainly sage, cactus, blue grama, and snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Colorado and western Kansas. The series is of moderate extent. Located in MLRA 67
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Phillips County, Colorado, 1966.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 102 centimeters (0 to 40 inches)
Argillic layer: 23 to 127 centimeters (9 to 50 inches)
Expandable clays: 23 to 102 centimeters (9 to 40 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.