LOCATION SIDESHOW COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Sideshow silty clay loam, in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A-- 0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; many fine pores; slightly effervescent; 1 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
AB-- 3 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine discontinuous tubular pores; 1 cm wide cracks along ped faces; slightly effervescent; 1 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bss-- 6 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to strong coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots between peds; common fine tubular pores; intersecting slickensides; slightly effervescent; 1 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
Bky--25 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; common fine discontinuous tubular pores; common fine and medium calcium carbonate threads, soft masses of lime and common fine and medium irregular masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent; 1 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; about 6 miles east of Cortez CO near the San Juan Basin Votech School; located about 2,350 feet east and 1,800 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 30, T. 36 N., R. 15 W.; Point Lookout, CO USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 21 minutes 7 seconds N. and long. 108 degrees 26 minutes 2 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: ustic bordering on aridic
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 52 degrees F
Surface rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 40 inches
Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6 (3 or 4 moist)
Chroma: 1 to 3
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: Slightly or moderately alkaline
B horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 (3 or 5 moist)
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
C horizon: (present in some pedons)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Albers, Arboles, Dominguez, Ritoazul, and Springerville series. Albers soils are noneffervescent above 30 inches. Dominguez soils have hue of 5YR or 2.5YR. Pierre and Ritoazul soils are moderately deep. Sideshow soils have accumulations of secondary gypsum. Springerville soils are deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium and slope alluvium derived from shale
Landform: alluvial fans, hills, and terraces
Slopes: 0 to 40 percent
Elevation: 6,000 to 7,500 feet
Mean annual temperature: 46 to 50 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 13 to 16 inches
Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year with July and August being slightly wetter and June being slightly dryer.
Frost-free period: 100 to 120 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Zigzag and Ramper series. Zigzag soils are located on knobs and hills and are shallow. Ramper soils are on terraces and drainageways and are stratified.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, medium to very high runoff, slow permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Sideshow soils are used for grazing and dry cropland. The native vegetation is western wheatgrass, big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Colorado. LRR D, MLRA 36. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cortez Area, Colorado, Parts of Dolores and Montezuma Counties 1997.
REMARKS: Series replaces Sili in the 13 to 16 inch precipitation zone. Changes due to moisture regime change established at Four Corners Climate Conference 10/92.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A)
Vertic properties: The zone from 3 to 25 inches. (AB and Bss)
Particle size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bss, Bky)
Taxonomic version: classified according to Ninth Edition 2003