LOCATION SKELRIDGE WYTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Aridic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Skelridge very cobbly sandy loam, on a south facing, linear-linear 43 percent slope in big sage, yucca and bluebunch wheatgrass rangeland at an elevation of 5524 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very cobbly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; about 30 percent gravels and 20 percent cobbles; surface covered with about 10 percent gravels, 20 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; very slight effervescent; carbonates disseminated; about 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
C1--3 to 10 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; loose, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; about 40 percent gravels and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; carbonates disseminated; about 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
C2--10 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; about 50 percent gravels and 15 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; carbonates disseminated; about 9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined C horizons 18 to 35 inches thick)
Cr--28 to 60 inches; soft, interbedded sandstone and shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Johnson County, Wyoming; located 1700 feet east and 1220 feet north of the southwest corner of section 30, T.49 N., R.82 W.; lat 44 degrees 10 minutes 59 seconds N. and long. 106 degrees 46 minutes 25 seconds W.; NAD 1983. Klondike Ranch SE USGS topographical quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 44 to 47 degrees F.
Surface rock fragments: 10 to 45 percent gravels, 0 to 30 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones.
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent gravels and cobbles.
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent gravels and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 70 percent gravels and cobbles.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Cr horizon:
Paralithic beds: soft shale, sandstone or interbedded sandstone and shale.
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Armells and
Sheecal series. Armells: very deep; hues 7.5YR or redder.
Sheecal: moderately deep to a lithic contact; hues 7.5YR or redder.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: colluvium and/or residuum derived from sedimentary rock
Landform: hills
Slopes: 10 to 60 percent
Elevation: 5,300 to 6,000 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 19 inches
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Delridge and
Yamacall series.
Delridge soils: occur on similar positions. They are fine-loamy.
Yamacall soils: occur on backslopes and toeslopes of hills. They have cambic horizon and are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is big sagebrush, yucca, fringed leaf sagewart, bluebunch wheatgrass, and needleandthread grass. This soil has been correlated to the Coarse Upland 15-19 inch Northern Plains - R043BY408WY range site at the type location in Wyoming.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Skelridge soils are of small extent in northeastern Wyoming.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES PROPOSED: Johnson County (Northern Johnson Area), Wyoming, 2005
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 28 inches. (C2 horizon)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Paralithic contact: contact with interbedded sandstone and shale at 28 inches. (Cr horizon)
Taxonomic version: Ninth edition to the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2003.