LOCATION ROXAL                   WY+MT

Established Series
Rev. PSD/MCS/EMM
03/2014

ROXAL SERIES

The Roxal series consists of well drained soils that are shallow and very shallow to bedrock. These soils formed in material weathered in place from interbedded sandstone and shale. Roxal soils are on gently sloping to steep ridges, hills, and mountain sides. Slopes are 3 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, shallow Typic Cryorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Roxal gravelly loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; 50 percent sandstone fragments of which about half break down upon pretreatment; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

C--6 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated and as thin coatings on a few of the gravel fragments; 20 percent sandstone fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); diffuse wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)

Cr--15 to 60 inches; calcareous, fine grained sandstone interbedded with loamstone and shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Carbon County, Wyoming; approximately 1,800 feet west and 1,040 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 30, T. 17 N., R. 86 W. Jack Creek Reservoir Quadrangle, 41 degrees 25 minutes 22 seconds north latitude and 107 degrees 7 minutes 0 seconds west longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to uniformly calcareous material ranges from 0 to 10 inches. Depth to the paralithic contact and bedrock ranges from 4 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 36 to 44 degrees F. The control section is loam, gravelly loam, clay loam, or gravelly clay loam and averages 18 to 35 percent clay. Rock fragments in the control section range from 0 to 35 percent. EC is less than 2 mmhos throughout.

A horizon
Hue - 5Y to 7.5YR
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4
Reaction - neutral through moderately alkaline.

C horizon
Hue - 5Y to 7.5YR
Value - 5 to 8 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Roxal soils are on gently sloping to steep ridges, hills, and mountainsides. Slopes are 3 to 65 percent. The soils formed in material weathered in place from calcareous sandstone interbedded with loamstone and shale. Elevation is 5,600 to 9,000 feet. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 33 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is estimated to range from 30 to 80 days but frost may occur at any time.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barrett, Mullinville, Starley, Starman and Uhl soils. Mullinville soils have a mollic epipedon and an argillic horizon. Starley and Uhl soils have a mollic epipedon. Starman soils have a lithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderately permeable.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is needleandthread, bluebunch wheatgrass, threetip sagebrush and phlox.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In the mountainous areas of Wyoming and south-central Montana. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs 43B, 46 and 48A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Teton County, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park Area; 1975.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches (A)
Paralithic contact - 15 to 60 inches (Cr)

SIR - WY0269

This series should be investigated to determine if the C horizon should be updated to a Bk horizon and update the range in characteristics section.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.