LOCATION WHITEMOUNT WY
Tentative Series
TIK-DPG-DEW
03/2025
WHITEMOUNT SERIES
Depth class: Moderately deep
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High
Parent material: Slope alluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone or interbedded sedimentary rock
Geomorphic location: Structural benches or hillslopes
Slope range: 2 to 15 percent
Mean annual temperature: 4.5 degrees C (40 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 205 millimeters (8.0 inches)
TAXONOMIC CLASS:
Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitemount fine sandy loam in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravels; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary.
BA--10 to 25 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravels; 3 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bk1--25 to 33 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravels; 10 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--33 to 48 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) fine sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and many fine roots throughout; common very fine and many fine interstitial pores; 3 percent gravels; 30 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
BCk--48 to 70 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravels; 40 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary.
C--70 to 77 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; common fine interstitial pores; 35 percent gravels; 35 percent calcium carbonate concretions on bottom of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6) abrupt smooth boundary.
R--77 centimeters; bedrock, lithic.
TYPE LOCATION:
Sweetwater County, WY
USGS Quadrangle: Clay Buttes SE
Latitude: 41.80367
Longitude: -109.354447
Datum: WGS84
Coordinates source: Hand-held GPS
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to calcic--19 to 33 centimeters
Depth to lithic contact--60 to 77 centimeters
Particle Size Control Section (weighted averages):
Clay content--13 to 16 percent
Sand content--52 to 71 percent
Total rock fragments--6 to 28 percent
A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Fine sandy loam or loam
Clay content--7 to 19 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 35 percent; 0 to 35 percent gravels, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction--pH 7.0 to 8.4
Thickness--6 to 10 centimeters
AB/BA horizons (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Fine sandy loam or loam
Clay content--8 to 16 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 65 percent; 0 to 50 percent gravels, 0 to 15 percent cobbles
Reaction--pH 7.2 to 8.3
Thickness--0 to 15 centimeters
Bk horizons:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 8 dry; 4 to 7 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam
Clay content--10 to 19 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 34 percent fragments--0 to 25 percent gravels, 0 to 9 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 25 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 12
Reaction--pH 8.0 to 8.8
Thickness--23 to 45 centimeters
BCk horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--6 or 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Fine sandy loam or loam
Clay content--10 to 19 percent
Rock fragments--3 to 40 percent fragments; 3 to 35 percent gravels, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 25 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--0 to 12
Reaction--pH 8.0 to 8.8
Thickness--0 to 26 centimeters
C horizons (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--7 or 8 dry; 5 or 7 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry; 3 or 4 moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--Fine sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content--10 to 16 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 40 percent; 0 to 40 percent gravels; 0 to 5 percent channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent--3 to 25 percent
Sodium absorption ratio--6 to 12
Reaction--pH 8.4 to 9.0
Thickness--0 to 22 centimeters
COMPETING SERIES:
Blanfort (CO) - is very deep
Cryluha (WY) - is moderately deep to paralithic contact
Edlin (WY) - is very deep
Fiveoh (WY) - is very deep
Kappes (WY) - is moderately deep to paralithic contact
Mcfadden (WY, UT, SD) - is very deep
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium over residuum weathered from sandstone or interbedded sedimentary rock
Landform: Structural benches or hillslopes
Slope ranges: 2 to 15 percent
Mean annual temperature range: 2.5 to 7.0 degrees C (36.5 to 44.6 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range: 180 to 230 millimeters (7 to 9 inches)
Frost-free period: 50 to 100 days
Elevation: 1,950 to 2,260 meters (6,400 to 7,415 feet)
Climate: Long, cold winters; cool, moist springs; short, warm summers
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
None listed.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: 5 to 50 um/sec
USE AND VEGETATION:
Whitemount soils are primarily used for rangeland. The potential native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, thickspike wheatgrass, and needle and thread.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Whitemount soils are of small extent in southwestern Wyoming; MLRA 34A.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED:
Sweetwater County, WY 2021. Whitemount is named after a topographic location.
REMARKS:
Typical Pedon Taxonomic Features:
Ochric epipedon--0 to 10 centimeters (A horizon)
Calcic horizon--33 to 70 centimeters (Bk2 and BCk horizons)
Lithic contact--77 centimeters
Particle size control section--25 to 77 centimeters
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition, (2022)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.