LOCATION SHRINE CO+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Torriorthentic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Shrine clay loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent pebbles; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
C--14 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent pebbles; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Chaffee County, Colorado; 155 feet south of the southwest corner of the corral in the northwest 1/4, sec. 7, T. 49 N., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil typically is calcareous throughout but depth to uniformly calcareous material ranges from 0 to 7 inches and is always shallower than one-half the thickness of the mollic epipedon. Continuous subhorizons of genetically concentrated visible secondary calcium carbonate and/or sulfate do not occur within the control section, although some visible accumulation may occur discontinuously at any depth or throughout the control section. The particle-size control section is loam or clay loam with 18 to 35 percent clay. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent by volume and are dominantly less than three inches in diameter.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is mildly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. The Hopkins and Mergel series are similar. Hopkins soils have fragmental material at a depth of 10 to 20 inches. Mergel soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shrine soils are on alluvial fans, terraces, outwash plains, and valley side slopes. Slope gradients range from 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in alluvial material derived from a variety of rock sources. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 12 inches with peak periods of precipitation in the spring and summer. The mean annual temperature is 44 degrees F, and the mean summer temperature is 62 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Mergel soils and the Poncha soils. Poncha soils are coarse textured and have a calcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate to moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as irrigated cropland and as native pastureland. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, western wheatgrass, native bluegrass, snakeweed, and cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain valleys of central Colorado and adjacent parts of Wyoming. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chaffee County, Colorado, 1974.