LOCATION QUERIDA COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Querida gravelly sandy loam - on a 5 percent southwest-facing slope in an area of rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline; slightly effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
A2--2 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline; slightly effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C--11 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent pebbles; moderately alkaline; strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Fremont County, Colorado; about 100 feet north of county road and 1,300 feet southwest of the Howard landfill in Sec. 2, T. 48 N., R. 10 E. U.S.G.S. Howard quad.; Lat. 38 degrees, 26 minutes, 30 seconds N., Long. 105 degrees, 49 minutes, 34 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 43 to 46 degrees F. Depth to calcareous material ranges from 0 to 20 inches. The particle-size control section is typically fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam. It averages 5 to 18 percent clay, 5 to 35 percent silt, and 50 to 80 percent sand, with more than 35 percent being fine sand or coarser. Rock fragments range from 0 to 30 percent and are mainly pebbles. The moisture control section is dry in most years in some part more than one-half the time the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. However, in most years it is moist in some part for 60 or more consecutive days during the growing season.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is neutral through moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Textures are fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some C horizons have a few segregations of calcium carbonate. Some pedons have gravelly loamy sand or loamy sand C horizons below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Carmody (WY), Goslin (WY), Grieves (WY), Riedel (MT), and Tebbs (UT) series.
Carmody and Riedel soils have paralithic contacts at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Goslin and Grieves soils in most years receive a greater proportion of total precipitation in the late spring months and fall when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is less than 41 degrees F. In addition, Grieves soils have only 0 to 15 percent coarse fragments.
Tebbs soils have soil reactions that range to strongly alkaline and have soil moisture control sections that are usually dry in May and June and moist in some part in July, August, or September.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Querida soils are on alluvial fans and stream terraces. Slopes range from 2 to 10 percent. The soil formed in alluvium. Elevation ranges from 6,500 to 8,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 11 to 15 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 80 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bronell, Kerhayden, and Shrine soils. Bronell soils are loamy-skeletal. Kerhayden and Shrine soils are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for rangeland. A few are used for irrigated hayland and pastureland. Native vegetation consists of needleandthread, sand dropseed, blue grama, western wheatgrass, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fremont County (Fremont County Area), Colorado, 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon include: an ochric epipedon from 0 to 11 inches; clay content of the texture control section of 5 to 18 percent; an ustic aridic moisture regime; and a frigid temperature regime. Last updated by the state 8/95.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.