LOCATION WETOE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wetoe very gravelly loam, on a southeast facing, 60 percent slope in pinyon at an elevation of 8180 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on Aug. 24, 2003 the soil was dry throughout. The surface is covered by 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones.
A1--0 to 1 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots throughout; many very fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
A2--1 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; 13 percent clay; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium, and many very fine roots throughout; many very fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
BA--8 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, common medium, and many very fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; 23 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, common medium, and common very fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular pores; 60 percent distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 26 inches thick)
Bt2--31 to 38 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, and common medium, and common very fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular pores; 70 percent distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Bt3--38 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium, and common coarse, and common very fine roots throughout; common fine dendritic tubular pores; 50 percent distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Montezuma County, Colorado; about 8 miles west of Towaoc; located about 1000 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 33, T. 35 N., R. 18 W.; Mariano Wash East, Colorado USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 14 minutes 33.9 seconds N. and long. 108 degrees 49 minutes 44.6 seconds W., NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is aridic ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 52 degrees F
Depth to argillic horizon: 8 to 20 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 80 percent, mainly gravel and cobble
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture, fine earth fraction: Loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 35 to 80 percent
Clay content: 5 to 20 percent
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
Bt horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture, fine earth fraction: loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 35 to 80 percent
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Espiritu,
Snavee,
Tsezhin, and
Wauquie series.
Espiritu soils have horizons of secondary carbonates.
Snavee soils have horizons of secondary carbonates.
Tsezhin soils have a calcic horizon and will be classified as Calcidic subgroup on update.
Wauquie soils have horizons of secondary carbonates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Colluvium and slope alluvium derived from diorite and similar igneous rock
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 35 to 90 percent
Elevation: 6,800 to 8,800 feet, higher elevations on south aspects
Mean annual temperature: 46 to 50 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 13 to 16 inches
Precipitation pattern: Uniform with slight dip in May and June and slight increase in July and August.
Frost-free period: 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nees and Katzine series. The Nees soils are shallow and are on ridges and mountain summits. The Katzine soils very deep and have a calcic horizon and are on mountain slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, moderate runoff, moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The area is used for watersheds and wildlife habitat with twoneedle pinyon and sparse Utah juniper and a shrub community of Utah serviceberry, mountain mahogany and thin stands of Gambel oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sleeping Ute Mountain, southwest Colorado; MLRA 36; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Montezuma County, Colorado, Ute Mountain Area, Colorado and New Mexico, 2005.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 79 inches.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 18 to 38 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 8 inches. (A1, A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 18 to 60 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons)
This series extends to higher elevations than is typical for this moisture class on steep south facing slopes of Sleeping Ute Mountain with high winter solar radiation.
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003.