LOCATION WORFMAN WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Ustic Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Worfman sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many medium, coarse, and fine roots; many thin clay films on faces of peds and as lining in pores and root channels; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Btk--10 to 17 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common, fine, and very fine roots and few medium roots; few thin clay films on faces of peds; strongly effervescent, lime disseminated and as common, medium, and fine soft masses and threads; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Cr--17 to 60 inches; soft, calcareous sandy shale interbedded with thin to thick strata of calcareous sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Carbon County, Wyoming; at the north quarter corner of sec. 11, T. 19 N., R. 91 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock and the paralithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 46 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 59 to 64 degrees F. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 15 percent throughout with about half breaking down on pretreatment. Exchangeable sodium is less than 15 percent, and the EC is less than 2 mmhos throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam with 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 35 percent fine or coarser sand. It is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The Btk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam with 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 35 percent fine or coarser sand. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The Cr horizon consists of soft, weakly consolidated sandy shale and sandstone. The bedded material is calcareous throughout and stratified. Few thin strata of lithic shale and sandstone occur as discontinuous bands. The bedrock is estimated to extend to depths greater than 15 feet.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Manburn and Tigon series. Both of these soils are noncalcareous throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Worfman soils are on hillslopes, ridges, and rock-controlled uplands. They formed in residuum and colluvial slopewash derived from sandy shale and sandstone. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. Elevation ranges from 5,900 to 7,800 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 14 inches of which about half falls as rain or snow in April, May, and early June. The mean annual temperature ranges from 39 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is estimated to range from 60 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackhall, Blazon, Cushool, and Diamondville soils. Blackhall and Blazon soils have no diagnostic subsurface horizons. Cushool and Diamondville soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, thickspike wheatgrass, and needleleaf sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern and southern Wyoming. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Wyoming; 1985.