LOCATION CURECANTI CO+MT WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Curecanti very stony sandy loam - on a 36 percent concave south- facing toe slope. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very stony sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky; 50 percent rock fragments; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
BA--6 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very cobbly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky; few thin clay films on faces of peds; 35 to 50 percent rock fragments dominantly 1/8 to 10 inches in size; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 23 inches; brown to dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 35 to 60 percent rock fragments dominantly 1/8 to 10 inches in size; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--23 to 33 inches; brown to dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky; common thin clay films on face of peds; 35 to 60 percent rock fragments dominantly 1/8 to 10 inches in size; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
BC--33 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky; 35 to 60 percent rock fragments dominantly 1/8 to 10 inches in size; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Colorado; approximately 2 miles east of the community of Kittredge; 350 feet west and 400 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec. 30, T. 4 S., R. 70 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Base saturation ranges from 60 to 100 percent, but usually is more than 90 percent. Depth to uniformly calcareous material ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 15 to 50 inches. Rock fragments range from 35 to 75 percent by volume in a major part of the solum and C horizon above a depth of 50 inches and dominantly ranges from 1/8 to 24 inches in diameter. The solum and C horizon ranges from medium acid to mildly alkaline. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 42 to 47 degrees F, and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 to 64 degrees F. The soil is usually moist when the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 2 through 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 6. It is usually very cobbly, extremely stony, or extremely cobbly, sandy clay loam or clay loam, and the fine earth fraction has 18 to 35 percent clay, 5 to 55 percent silt, and 15 to 75 percent sand.
The BC or C horizons have hue of 2.5Y through 5YR, 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 through 4. Textures of the fine earth are clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Some pedons have a 2BC or 2C horizon which has hue of 2.5Y through 5YR. It is cobbly or very cobbly sandy loam, extremely cobbly or stony loam or sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam, or very gravelly or extremely gravelly or cobbly loamy sand, sandy loam, or sand, and has less than 18 percent clay in the fine earth fraction.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beaverton, Harol, (T)Harpole, Hilger, (T) Holter, (T)Ironco, Shawmut, Shirttail, and Widtsoe series. The Beaverton, Hilgar, Shawmut, and Widtsoe soils have free carbonates within depths of 24 inches. Harol and (T)Harpole soils have lithologic discontinuities at depths of 20 to 40 inches and are moist in some part of the moisture control section only 50 to 60 percent of the time the soil temperature at 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. The Holter soils have a consistent K horizon at depths of 25 to 50 inches. (T)Ironco soils are greater than 50 inches thick to the base of the argillic layer. Shirttail soils have thinner Bt horizons that are only 8 to 12 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on alluvial fans, fan terraces, and colluvial toe slopes of high terraces. Slope gradients range from 1 to 70 percent. The soils formed in old alluvium and glacial outwash derived from mixed sources. The average annual precipitation is 15 to 18 inches with peak periods of precipitation during the spring and summer. The mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 47 degrees F, and the mean summer temperature is 60 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cathedral, Lininger, and Ratake soils. Cathedral and Ratake soils have bedrock above 20 inches depth. Lininger soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments, and have bedrock between a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderate to moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as native pastureland and for recreational purposes. Native vegetation is mainly winterfat, phlox, squirreltail, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain valleys of central Colorado. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lakewood, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saguache County (Gunnison Area), Colorado, 1974.