LOCATION VILLEGREEN CO+KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Villegreen loam, on a southwest convex slope of 1 to 4 percent. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
BA--6 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common continuous clay films on faces of peds; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Btk--15 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4); weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few patchy distinct clay films on faces of peds; violently effervescent; few soft masses of lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk--24 to 32 inches; white (10YR 8/1) channery loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 25 percent channery sandstone fragments; violently effervescent; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear irregular boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
2R--32 inches; hard sandstone, calcareous in seams.
TYPE LOCATION: Las Animas County, Colorado 1,000 feet northwest of Boyd Rose Ranch on O.U Creek 850 feet east and 2600 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 1, T. 31 S., R. 52 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: moist intermittently April through August, dry December through February; ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 53 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 68 to 74 degrees F.
Depth to the lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon: 20 to 32 inches thick
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to 8 inches
Particle size control section: (weighted average)
Clay content: 28 to 35 percent
Sand content: 5 to 25 percent, with less that 15 percent fine and coarser sand
Rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent
A thin layer of soft shale is present in some pedons above the sandstone bedrock.
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: loam, silt loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Bt horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: silty clay loam or clay loam
Clay content: 28 to 35 percent
Silt content: 45 to 70 percent
Sand content: 5 to 25 percent, with less than 15 percent being fine sand or coarser.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
2Bk horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture of the fine earth fraction: loam, silt loam, or clay loam
Rock fragment content: 5 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Acantilado,
Cahona(CO),
Canina,
Kucu (CO), and
Plughat (CO) series. Acantilado soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock and have colors 5YR or redder in the argillic horizon. Cahona, Canina, and Kucu series: do not have a lithic contact.
Plughat soils: have a lithic contact at dephts of 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: plains, ridges, interfluves.
Slopes: range from 0 to 12 percent.
Parent material: loess and residuum of weathered sandstone.
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,500 feet.
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 16 inches; approximately 2/3 of which falls during the months of March through August.
Mean annual temperature: 50 to 54 degrees F.
Frost free period: 120 to 155 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Baca, Plughat and Wiley soils. Baca and Wiley soils are greater than 60 inches to a lithic contact. Plughat soils have a lithic contact at 40 to 60 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow runoff. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland. Native vegetation is principally blue grama, bottlebrush squirreltail, winterfat, needlegrass, pricklypear cactus and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Colorado; LRR G, MLRA 67; The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Las Animas County, Colorado 1981.
REMARKS: The name is from a small village in the area. Last updated by the state 1/82.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: 9 to 24 inches. (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: 24 to 32 inches. (Bk horizon)
Lithic contact: sandstone at 32 inches. (R horizon)
Classification and activity class are supported by laboratory sample S93CO071-007.
WAW 7/2007. Updated competing series.
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.