LOCATION TABLE MOUNTAIN     CO+WY
Established Series
GB/LLC
03/2006

TABLE MOUNTAIN SERIES


The Table Mountain Series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in thick, calcareous medium textured alluvium derived from sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. Table mountain soils are on alluvial fans, terraces and concave drains or old flood plains. They have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 38 centimeters (15 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C. (49 degrees F.) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Table Mountain loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches) thick)

Bw--10 to 56 centimeters (4 to 22 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few thin clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (46 to 76 centimeters (18 to 30 inches) thick)

BC--56 to 86 centimeters (22 to 34 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few thin clay films in pores and root channels; neutral; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 36 centimeters (0 to 14 inches) thick)

Ck--86 to 152 centimeters (34 to 60 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly plastic; few fine roots; fine filaments and threads of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Colorado; 61 meters (200 feet) west and 396 meters (1,300 feet) north of the southeast corner of Sec. 2, T. 3 S., R. 54 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C. (49 to 53 degrees F.)
Depth to uniformly calcareous material: 0 to 102 centimeters (0 to 40 inches)
Exchangeable sodium: 0 to 15 percent in most subhorizons of the control section
mollic epipedon: 51 to 127 centimeters (20 to 50 inches) thick
Continuous concentrated horizons of visible secondary calcium carbonate and/or sulfate: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Control section: typically loam, sandy clay loam, or light clay loam
Particle-size control section: (weighted average)
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Silt content: 20 to 55 percent
Sand content: 20 to 55 percent, less than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent in the control section and dominantly are 1 to 25 centimeters (1/2 to 10 inches) in diameter
Hues of subhorizons above 102 centimeters (40 inches): 7.5YR or yellower
Some pedons have a few faint mottles with the chroma of both matrix and mottles exceeding 2.

A horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 7, or 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 5Y to 7.5YR
Texture: loam
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate accumulation: 2 to 14 percent
The C horizon of some pedons is stratified with gravelly sandy loam or silty clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bonilla, Davis and Whiskey series.
Bonilla and Davis soils are moist more than 1/2 the time the soil temperature is 5 degrees C. (41 degrees F.) or higher.
Whiskey soils are on stream terraces at elevations of 1768 to 2134 meters (5,800 to 7,000 feet).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: alluvial fans, terraces, concave drains and old floodplains
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Parent material thick, calcareous, medium to moderately fine textured materials derived from sedimentary and metamorphic rocks
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 41 centimeters (14 to 16 inches) with peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and early summer months
Mean annual temperature: 9 degrees C. (48 degrees F.)
Mean summer temperature: 21 degrees C. (69 degrees F.)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fort Collins and Kim soils.
Fort Collins soils have an ochric epipedon and an argillic horizon.
Kim soils have an ochric epipedon and are calcareous above a depth of 10 inches.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well-drained
Runoff: medium to low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as grazing land and as dry or irrigated cropland.
Native vegetation is blue grama, western wheat, sage, and cactus.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Colorado. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brighton Area, Colorado, 1932.

Modified format by LRM in 3/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.