LOCATION SAMDAY WY+MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, calcareous, mesic, shallow Ustic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Samday clay loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate coarse platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--2 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
BCky--10 to 18 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; strongly effervescent, lime as common soft masses, filaments, and threads; few gypsum crystals; approximately 20 percent soft weathered shale chips which break down on pretreatment; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--18 to 60 inches; gray calcareous shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Converse County, Wyoming; 2,500 feet north and 1,600 feet west of the SE corner of sec. 36, T. 37 N., R. 69 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock and the paralithic contact ranges from 6 to 20 inches. Depth to carbonates is 0 to 6 inches. The control section is a clay, heavy clay loam, or silty clay with 35 to 50 percent clay. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 35 percent but are soft shale chips and break down with pretreatment. The soil is dry in the moisture control section more than half the time cumulative that the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 41 degrees F., which occurs about April 21-27, and dry in all parts of the moisture control section for at least 60 consecutive days from July 15 to October 25 and for at least 90 cumulative days during this period. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F., and the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is
41 degrees F. or more for 175 to 192 days. EC ranges from 0 to 4 mmhos throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 4 through 7 dry,
4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is clay loam, clay, silty clay loam or silty clay. Reaction is typically neutral through moderately alkaline but may be strongly alkaline due to disturbance.
The Bw horizon, when present, has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam. The base of any Bw horizon is typically 10 inches or less or, if deeper, is not a diagnostic cambic horizon. Reaction is slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Some pedons have an AB horizon.
The BC or BCky horizon has hue of 5Y through 10YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam. Carbonates and gypsum appear to be autogenetic, but secondary accumulations are present in some pedons. Carbonates range from 4 to 10 percent. Reaction is slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Cannonville, Danko, Midway, Orella and Zyme series. Cannonville soils are dry for 65 to 75 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches is more than 41 degrees F. Danko soils have hue of 5YR or redder. Midway soils are not dry for 90 cumulative days or 60 consecutive days from July 15 to October 25. Orella soils have ESP of 8 to 30 in the AC and C horizons. Zyme soils do not have horizons of gypsum accumulation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Samday soils are on largely unstable upland ridgetops, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges and low hills. These soils formed in fine textured shale residuum, slope alluvium, and colluvial slopewash. Slopes are 0 to 45 percent. Elevation is 3,500 to 6,500 feet. Precipitation ranges from 10 to 17 inches with over half of the annual precipitation falling in each month of July, August, September, and October. The mean annual temperature ranges from 44 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free season is about 105 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Orella, Savageton, Shingle, Worf, and Worfka soils. Orella soils have mixed mineralogy in the control section and have high sodium content. Savageton soils have a paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Shingle soils have loamy control sections. Worf and Worfka soils have argillic horizons. Worf soils also have loamy control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are dominantly used for grazing. Potential native vegetation is western wheatgrass, thickspike wheatgrass, green needlegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Powder River Basin and adjacent areas of eastern Wyoming. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Converse County, Wyoming; 1983.