LOCATION WAHATOYA COEstablished Series
The Wahatoya series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium and residuum from material weathered from conglomeritic sandstone or hard granite. Wahatoya soils are on mountain slopes and hills. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 19 inches and the mean annual temperature is 42 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wahatoya gravelly sandy loam - on a 33 percent northwest facing slope under ponderosa pine and Gambel oak. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed forest litter from twigs and leaves.
A--1 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 1 percent stones, neutral; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 7 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--7 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) very gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 22 inches thick)
C--23 to 27 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, nonsticky, and nonplastic; 50 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
R--27 inches; hard conglomeritic sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Huerfano County, Colorado; about 3 miles south and 2 miles east of La Veta; 1,580 feet west and 600 feet north of the SE corner of Sec. 3, T. 30 S., R. 68 W.; Spanish Peaks USGS quad; approximate lat. 37 degrees 27 minutes 40 seconds N. and long. 104 degrees 59 minutes 4 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Depths are from the mineral soil surface.)
Soil moisture: moist in spring and summer, driest December through February; ustic moisture regime, typic subclass.
Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 42 to 46 degrees F.
The thickness of the argillic horizon: 15 to 22 inches
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches. A thin paralithic contact maybe present in some pedons.
Particle-size control section: (weighted average)
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Sand content: 40 to 70 percent.
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent .
The A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: of 1 through 3
Rock fragment content: 5 to 35 percent.
Reaction: moderately acid through neutral.
The E horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 2 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam frequently modified by rock fragments.
Rock fragment content: 5 to 60 percent
Reaction: moderately acid through neutral.
The Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR through 10YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent.
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, , and less commonly sandy loam in lower parts of the horizon modified by rock fragments.
Reaction: moderately acid through neutral
The C horizon: (BC in some pedons)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Reaction: moderately acid through neutral.
It is absent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Abreu (NM),
Colomex (NM),
Laventana (NM),
Macmeal,
Mocmont,
Namon,
Sheek (CO),
Skyview (MT),
Sonsela (NM),
Trapps,
Vision (MT),
Xankey,
Ymark (MT),
Yourame, and
Yreka (MT) series.
Abreu soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Colomex soils: do not have a lithic contact
Laventana soils: have a lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Macmeal soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Mocmount soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Namon soils: have lithic contact at 40 to 60 inches depth.
Sheek soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Skyview soils: the argillic horizon is a mixed Bt/E horizon.
Sonsela soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Towaoc soils: do not have bedrock above depths of 40 inches.
Tecolote soils: do not have bedrock above depths of 40 inches.
Trapps soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Vision soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Xankey soils: do not have bedrock above depths of 40 inches.
Ymark soils: have a paralithic and lithic contact at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
Yourame soils: do not have a lithic contact.
Yreka soils: do not have a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: mountain slopes and hills.
Slopes: 5 to 60 percent.
Parent material: colluvium and residuum weathered from conglomeritic sandstone or hard granite.
Elevation ranges from 7,200 to 8,800 feet.
Mean annual precipitation ranges from 17 to 24 inches with a peak in the spring and summer.
Mean annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F.
Frost free period is about 70 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bayerton,
Breece,
Maitland, and
Ring soils. Bayerton soils average less than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section.
Breece soils have a mollic epipedon more than 16 inches thick, average less than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section, and lack bedrock within 40 inches.
Maitland soils average less than 35 percent rock fragment in the control section and lack bedrock within 0 inches.
Ring soils average more than 35 percent clay in the control section and lack bedrock within 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing, woodland, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of ponderosa pine with an understory of Gambel oak, Arizona fescue, mountain muhly, and mountain brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountains of south-central Colorado. LRR E; MLRA's 48A and 49. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Huerfano County, Colorado, 1980. The name is taken from Wahatoya Creek.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: the zone from 7 to 23 inches. (Bt horizon)
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 1 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Albic horizon: the zone from 3 to 7 inches (E horizon
Argillic horizon: the zone from 7 to 23 inches. (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact: sandstone at 27 inches. (R horizon)
Previous classification changed from Typic Eutroboralfs to frigid Typic Haplustalfs.
The 11/2007 revision deletes Douglas-fir from the Use and Vegetation, which returns the vegetation to the original list.
Taxonomic Version: Tenth Edition, 2006