LOCATION SANFORD                 CO+WY

Established Series
Rev. RHM-KLS
05/2023

SANFORD SERIES

The Sanford series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from gneiss and schist or similar bedrock. Sanford soils are on mountain sides and have slopes of 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 510 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 1 degree C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Lamellic Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Sanford sandy loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; undecomposed organic material consisting mainly of leaves, twigs, needles, and bark.

Oe--3 to 6 cm; partially decomposed organic material like that of the horizon above.

A--6 to 11 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

E--11 to 39 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; vesicular; 10 percent stones; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 41 cm thick)

E/B--39 to 52 cm; variable colors including yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak subangular blocky structure that parts to fine granules; slightly hard, very friable; this horizon consists of material like that of the overlying horizon in which are embedded nodules and discontinuous seams of more clayey material, 10 percent stones; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

Bt--52 to 82 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy loam containing lamellae 0.5 to 5 cm thick of loam and clay loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; slightly hard, very friable; thin nearly continuous clay films on peds in the lamellae and as coatings and bridges on and between sand grains; slightly acid; 10 percent stones; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 36 cm thick).

R--82 cm; gneiss. Several meters thick.

TYPE LOCATION: Gunnison County, Colorado; west of the Willow Creek Guard Station in SW1/4, NE1/4 of sec. 27, T. 14 S., R. 82 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--0 to 8 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--4 to 8 degrees C
Solum thickness--38 to 100 cm
Depth to lithic contact--50 to 100 cm
Base saturation--60 to 100 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent in most of the solum; dominantly more than 250 mm in diameter

A horizon, if present
Hue--2.5Y through 7 5YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 or 3
Structure--crumb primary structure, but has subangular blocky structure in some pedons
Rupture resistance--soft or slightly hard
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.0

E horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--2 through 4
Structure--platy, but is granular or subangular blocky in some pedons
Rupture resistance--soft or slightly hard
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3

Bt horizon
Hue--2.5Y through 7.5YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 through 5
Texture--sandy loam or loamy sand in the matrix; lamellae texture is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Pineguest and Tex series both of which lack lithic contact at depths of less than 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountain side slopes
Elevation--more than 2450 meters at the type location
Slope--2 to 50 percent
Parent material--medium to moderately fine textured slightly acid material weathered from gneiss and schist or similar bedrock
Mean annual precipitation--510 mm at the type location, with nearly uniform precipitation occurring throughout the year
Mean annual air temperature--1 degree C
Mean summer air temperature--9 degrees C
Frost-free period--40 to 60 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for forestry, grazing, and recreational purposes. Principal native plants are lodgepole pine, spruce, and kinnikinnik, elk sedge and fescue.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sanford soils are moderately extensive in the high mountainous areas of Colorado and Wyoming; MLRA 48A.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Johnson County (Southern Johnson County Area), Wyoming, 1971.

REMARKS: Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 05/2023

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.