LOCATION WHEATRIDGE COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wheatridge loam - grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B1--6 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) heavy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine subangular blocks; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; primary peds are hard, friable; few thin glossy patches on the faces of peds and discontinuous glossy coatings in some root channels and pores; 5 percent gravel; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
B2t--10 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure that parts to medium subangular blocks; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; peds are very hard, firm; thin nearly continuous wax-like coatings on faces of peds and wax-like coatings and fillings on the inside of root channels and pores; few wax-like rims around the entrance to some soil pores; 15 percent gravel; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 25 inches thick)
B3--25 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; peds are hard, friable, few thin glossy patches on faces of peds and few discontinuous glossy coatings on the inside of root channels and pores; 25 percent gravel; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
IIC--30 to 60 inches; very gravelly loamy sand; noncalcareous; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Arapahoe County, Colorado; approximately at the junction of Quincy Street and Santa Fe Lane, approximately N1/4 corner of Sec. 9, T. 5 S., R. 68 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to uniformly calcareous material normally ranges from 40 to 60 inches or more. Depth to the contrasting IIC horizon ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 17 to 35 inches. Subhorizons redder than 7.5YR are in some pedons but a major part of the solum above the IIC horizon has hue of 7.5YR or yellower. Rock fragments range from 15 to 35 percent by volume in a major part of the solum and any C horizon above the IIC horizon and these are mainly 1/2 to 10 inches in diameter.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is neutral or mildly alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).
The B2t horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. Subhorizons redder than 7.5YR are in some pedons. This horizon is typically gravelly loam or clay loam but clay ranges from 18 to 35 percent, silt from 20 to 55 percent, and sand from 20 to 50 percent with less than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand. It is neutral or mildly alkaline (1:5 dilution unbuffered organic dye).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Altvan, Atencio, Bresser, Eckley, Newlin, Redridge, and Tuthill series. Altvan and Atencio soils are calcareous in the lower part of the solum and in the C horizon. Atencio and Redridge soils have hue of 5YR or redder in a majority of subhorizons above the IIC horizon. Bresser, Eckley, Newlin, and Kedridge soils have argillic horizons with more than 35 percent fine or coarser sand. Also, Eckley soils have contrasting horizons at depths of less than 20 inches. Tuthill soils have less than 35 percent gravel in the IIC horizon above a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wheatridge soils are on nearly level to gently sloping terraces and alluvial fans. Slopes typically range from about O to 6 percent or more. The soils formed in moderately thin, noncalcareous, medium or moderately fine textured alluvium overlying beds of gravelly or very gravelly loamy sand or sand. In some places the alluvium has a minor influence from granite or arkose deposits but not to the degree that is considered differentiating. At the type location the mean annual precipitation is about 15 inches with peak periods of precipitation occurring in the spring and early summer months. Mean annual temperature is 48 degrees F. and mean summer temperature is 69 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Larimer and Sampson soils. Larimer soils have an ochric epipedon, are calcareous above a depth of 40 inches, and have continuous horizons of secondary calcium carbonate accumulation. Sampson soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick, and lack sandy-skeletal substratums.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate to rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as grazing land or for dry and irrigated cropland. Native vegetation is sage, cactus, blue grama, western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Arapahoe County, Colorado, 1973.
REMARKS: OSED scanned by NSSQA and cleaned up by Colorado. Last revised by state 5/73.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.