LOCATION RESORT COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, micaceous, frigid, shallow Entic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Resort very gravelly sandy loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky; 45 percent angular pebbles, dominantly 1/8 to 1 inch in diameter; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky; few thin clay films in pores; 45 percent angular pebbles, dominantly 1/8 to 1 inch in diameter; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
C--8 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky; 45 percent angular pebbles, dominantly 1/8 to 1 inch in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--15 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) to light brown (7.5YR 6/4) weathered Pikes Peak granite (grus).
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Colorado; about 6-1/2 miles southeast of Conifer on the Kennedy Gulch road; 70 feet west and 860 feet south of the center of Sec. 17, T. 7 S., R. 70 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 44 to 46 degrees F
Mean summer soil temperature: 59 to 64 degrees F
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 10 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent and mainly 1/8 to 1 inch in diameter, but with some horizons up to 3 inches; rock fragments are angular
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Bw horizon (if present):
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
C horizon (if present):
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 5
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: granitic rock principally derived from the Pikes Peak granite, but include rhyolite, schist, and basic andesite
Landform: mountain slopes and ridges
Slopes: 3 to 80 percent
Elevation: 6,500 to 8,800 feet
Mean annual temperature: 43 to 46 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 17 to 21 inches
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months: March, April and May
Driest months: September and October
Frost-free period: 55 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Sphinx soils. Sphinx soils lack mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, rapid runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used for woodland, recreation, wildlife habitat, and community development. Native vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, mountain mahogany, pine dropseed, grass, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous area of north central Colorado in Pikes Peak granite area. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Golden Area Soil Survey, Jefferson County, Colorado, 1980.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 15 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 0 to 15 inches. (A, Bw, and C horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 8 inches. (A and Bw horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with weathered granite at 15 inches. (Cr horizons)
The assignment of the paramicaceous mineralogy is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998
The mineralogy class was changed from paramicaceous to micaceous in 07/2010 by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the responsible MLRA regional office. The change was necessary based on the eleventh edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2010.