LOCATION SAWCREEK WY+MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Ustic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sawcreek sandy loam - grassland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine and very fine granular and crumb structure; soft, very friable; noncalcareous; slightly acid (pH 6 . 4) . (4 to 8 inches thick)
A12--5 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; noncalcareous; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
B2--9 to 21 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; noncalcareous; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C1--21 to 30 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) gravelly light sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; 10 percent gravel, mostly small sandstone fragments; noncalcareous; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C2--30 to 36 inches; noncalcareous soft sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Johnson County, Wyoming; NE1/4NE1/4NE1/4 sec. 41, T.46N., R.84W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 15 inches thick. The solum ranges from 12 to 30 inches thick and depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Organic carbon in the mollic epipedon ranges from .7 to 2.5 percent and decreases uniformly with increasing depth. The soil is 80 to 100 percent base-saturated. The 10-to 40-inch control section is typically sandy loam but clay ranges from 5 to 18 percent, silt from 5 to 30 percent, and sand from 52 to 80 percent with more than 35 percent being fine or coarser sand. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent in a major part of the control section. Mean annual temperature ranges from 32 degrees to 46 degrees F. and mean summer soil temperature from 40 degrees to 58 degrees F. The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It usually has granular or crumb structure, but it has subangular blocky structure in some pedons. This horizon is soft or slightly hard. It is slightly acid or neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3). The B2 horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. Hue redder than 7.5YR should not be lithochromic and should be discontinuous from pedon to pedon. The B2 horizon usually has subangular blocky structure but has prismatic structure in some pedons. It should have redder hue or brighter chroma than overlying and underlying horizons or have moderate structure. In some localities the B2 horizon is absent, in which case the A1 horizon is more than 10 inches thick and has brighter chroma, higher value in its lower part or have moderate subangular blocky structure in its lower part. The B2 horizon is slightly acid or neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3). The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR. It is slightly acid or neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burnt Lake, Coski, Dinnen, Sula, and Teoculli series. All of these soils lack a paralithic contact at depths of less than 40 inches. Also, Burnt Lake, Coski, and Dinnen soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Sawcreek soils are on gently sloping to moderately steep mountainsides and ridge crests. Slopes range from 2 to about 25 percent. The soils formed in moderately coarse textured slightly acid parent materials weathered residually from brown or grayish brown noncalcareous sandstone. At the type location the average annual precipitation is 20 inches, 10 inches of which falls during the months of April through August. The average annual temperature is 40 degrees F. and the average summer temperature is 50 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Dinnen and Teoculli soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well to somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as native pastureland and for recreational purposes. Typical native vegetation is scattered ponderosa pine, Thurbers fescue, vaccinium, and some grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountainous areas of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lakewood, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Big Horn County (Big Horn Area), Montana, 1970.
OSED scanned by NSSQA. Last revised by state on 6/73.