LOCATION SWEETLETTE              WY

Tentative Series
TIK-DPG-DEW
03/2025

SWEETLETTE SERIES

Depth class: Deep and very deep
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High
Parent material: Slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone and shale.
Geomorphic location: Cuestas, escarpments, hillslopes, basin-floor remnants, and structural benches.
Slope range: 1 to 30 percent
Mean annual temperature:4.5 degrees C (40 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 205 millimeters (8.0 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS:
Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Ustic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Sweetlette channery loam in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 centimeters; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; many fine tubular pores; 25 percent channers; strongly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary.

Btk1--8 to 22 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) channery loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent channers; 10 percent clay films on all faces of peds; 2 percent calcium carbonate masses on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.

Btk2--22 to 65 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) channery clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; 30 percent channers; 15 percent clay films on all faces of peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear irregular boundary.

Bkn--65 to 95 centimeters; pale olive (5Y 6/3) very channery clay loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; moderate fine subangular structure; slightly hard, friable, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine tubular pores; 35 percent channers; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary.

BCkn--95 to 115 centimeters; pale olive (5Y 6/3) very channery clay loam, olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; friable, slightly hard, very sticky, very plastic; 40 percent channers; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).

Cr--115 centimeters; bedrock, paralithic.

TYPE LOCATION:
Sublette County, WY
USGS Quadrangle: La BargeLatitude: 42.2911110
Longitude: -110.1125031
Datum: WGS84
Coordinates source: Hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to argillic horizon--3 to 20 centimeters
Depth to paralithic contact--100 to 200 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content--20 to 34 percent
Sand content--30 to 75 percent
Total rock fragments--0 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue--7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value--5 to 7 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--9 to 24 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 35 percent; 0 to 20 percent gravels, 0 to 35 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--0 to 5 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 3
Reaction--pH 6.8 to 8.4
Thickness--3 to 11 centimeters

Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry; 2 to 6 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content--20 to 34 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 20 percent; 0 to 10 percent gravels, 0 to 20 channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--0 to 3 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 3
Reaction--pH 7.0 to 8.2
Thickness--3 to 60 centimeters

Btk/Btkn horizon(s) (when present)
Hue--7.5YR to 5Y
Value--4 to 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Loam, sandy clay loam, clay, or clay loam
Clay content--21 to 38 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 30 percent; 0 to 15 percent gravels, 0 to 30 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 15 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 25
Reaction--pH 7.6 to 9.4
Thickness--0 to 115 centimeters

Bk/Bkn horizon(s) (when present)
Hue--10YR to 5Y
Value--5 or 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Clay loam , sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam
Clay content--10 to 31 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 60 percent; 0 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 60 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 15 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 25
Reaction--pH 8.0 to 9.2
Thickness--0 to 164 centimeters

C/Cn/BCk/BCkn horizon(s)
Hue--10YR to 5Y
Value--4 to 7 dry; 3 to 6 moist
Chroma--1 to 6
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Clay, clay loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content--11 to 42 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 65 percent; 0 to 40 percent gravels, 0 to 65 percent paragravels, 0 to 30 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--3 to 25 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 25
Reaction--pH 8.2 to 9.2
Thickness--30 to 155 centimeters

COMPETING SERIES:
Alcova (WY) - has a lithologic discontinuity
Almy (WY) - has hue redder that 7.5YR
Bateson (WY) - derived from tuffaceous conglomerate
Bluerim (WY) - is moderately deep to paralithic contact
Diamondville (WY) - is moderately deep to paralithic contact
Forelle (WY) - has a MAP higher than 230 millimeters (9 inches)
Jensenwell (WY) - is moderately deep to lithic contact
Juel (WY) - has pH values less than 8.4 throughout
Maysprings (CO) - does not have calcium carbonates above 100 cm
Satanka (WY) - is moderately deep to paralithic contact
Schrute (WY) - has more than 50 percent silt in the particle-size control section
Simanni (CO) - has a MAP higher than 230 millimeters (9 inches)
Taffom (WY) - has a MAP higher than 230 millimeters (9 inches)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium or colluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone and shale.
Landform: Cuestas, escarpments, hillslopes, basin floor remnants, and structural benches.
Slope ranges: 1 to 30 percent
Mean annual temperature range: 2.5 to 7.0 degrees C (36.5 to 44.6 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range:180 to 230 millimeters (7 to 9 inches)
Frost-free period: 50 to 100 days
Elevation: 1,850 to 2,270 meters (6,070 to 7,448 feet)
Climate: Long, cold winters; cool, moist springs; short, warm summers.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
None listed.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: 1.5 to 5 um/sec

USE AND VEGETATION:
Sweetlette soils are primarily used for grazing. The potential native vegetation is Wyoming big sage, thickspike wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Indian ricegrass, and other perennial grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Sweetlette soils are of small extent in western Wyoming; MLRA 34A

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

SERIES PROPOSED:
Sublette County, WY 2019. The Sweetlette series name is a coined phrase.

REMARKS:
Typical Pedon Taxonomic Features:
Ochric epipedon--0 to 8 centimeters (A horizon)
Argillic horizon--8 to 65 centimeters (Btk1 and Btk2 horizons)
Paralithic contact-115 centimeters
Particle-size control section--8 to 58 cm (Btk1 and part of the Btk2 horizon)
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition, (2022)

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.