LOCATION RYEGATE CO+MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ryegate sandy loam-range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
BCt--21 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
BC--30 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
2Bk--32 to 38 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; visible common soft masses and filaments; calcium carbonate coating on rocks; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches)
R--38 inches; hard sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado; about 2 miles south and one mile east of Kim, Colorado; 800 feet west and 1,900 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec. 34, T. 32 S., R. 53 W. Longitude 103 degrees, 20 minutes, 19 seconds west; latitude 37 degrees, 12 minutes, 55 seconds north.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: moist intermittently from April to August; ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 50 to 56 degrees.
Mean summer soil temperature: 68 to 74 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon: 15 to 30 inches
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 12 to 30 inches, with at least one-third of the upper part of the Bt horizon being noncalcareous.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 19 inches thick
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Sand content: 45 to 70 percent, with 35 percent or more fine and coarser sand
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sandy clay loam or loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Silt content: 10 to 35 percent
Sand content: 45 to 70 percent, with more than 35 percent fine and coarser sand
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
2Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 5 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Capulin(NM),
Chacuaco(CO),
Rosebud(NE) and
Wapiti(CO) series.
Capulin soils: have a lithic contact greater than 40 inches deep
Chacuaco soils: have secondary carbonates throughout the argillic and average less than 35 percent fine and coarser sand
Rosebud soils: have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Wapiti soils: are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: hills, ridges, and fans in the plains.
Slopes: range from 1 to 10 percent.
Parent material: coarse eolian sediments and residuum derived dominantly from hard sandstone.
Elevation ranges from 5,000 to 6,000 feet.
Mean annual air temperature: 50 to 54 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 16 inches, with peak periods in spring and summer months.
Frost-free period: 130 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ascalon, Capulin, Dalerose (T), and Travessilla soils. Ascalon and Capulin soils are on slightly higher ridges and knolls and are greater than 60 inches to a lithic contact. Dalerose and Travessilla soils are near areas of rock outcrop and are less than 20 inches to a lithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Principal native vegetation is blue grama, sideoats grama, little bluestem, and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: southeastern Colorado; LRR G, MLRA 67; The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yellowstone County, Montana, 1966.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: the zone from 0 to 10 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: the zone from 10 to 21 inches. (Bt and BCt horizons)
Calcic horizon: the zone from 32 to 38 inches (2Bk horizon)
Lithic contact: sandstone at 36 inches.
Other features: Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Remarks: The Ryegate series was first proposed in Yellowstone County, Montana, but was transferred to Las Animas County, Colorado due to a change in temperature regimes in Montana from mesic to frigid. The series is named after a town close by the original type location. Last updated by the state 12/89.
Modified by Lee Neve in January 2002 changing taxonomy from Aridic to Calcidic, in addition to basic reformatting to create a semitab format.
Taxonomic Version: Second Edition, 1999.