LOCATION WILID              CO

WILID SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Wilid silt loam, nearly level slope in nonirrigated cropland at an elevation of 4,835 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

Ap--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Btk1--3 to 8 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine masses of calcium carbonate throughout; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)

Btk2--8 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common fine masses of calcium carbonate throughout; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 25 inches thick)

Bk--14 to 21 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; common fine masses of calcium carbonate throughout; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 40 inches thick)

Bk1--21 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; common fine masses of calcium carbonate throughout; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

Bk2--35 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; common fine masses of calcium carbonate throughout; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Colorado; approximately 9 miles east and 34 miles south of Hugo; 156 feet west and 520 feet south of the northeast corner of Sec. 27, T. 16 S., R. 53 W.; Barrel Springs Draw, CO, USGS quad.; latitude 38 degrees, 38 minutes, 21 seconds N. and longitude 103 degrees, 19 minutes, 12 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture: Moist in some or all parts in May and June and intermittently in July and August. Ustic-Aridic moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 49 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to calcium carbonate: 0 to 22 inches.
Thickness of the argillic horizon: 11 to 33 inches.
Bt horizons are present in some pedons.

Particle size control section:
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Silt content: 50 to 70 percent
Sand content: 5 to 20 percent, with less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 through 6, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline

Btk horizons: (Bt in some pedons)
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bk horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 or 7, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: silt loam, loam or silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Ck horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 through 8, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blanding (UT), Depolvo (NM), Hyer (NM), Tensleep (WY), and Wyotite series.
Blanding soils: Depth to the base of the argillic is greater than 60 inches
Depolvo soils: have a mica content of 10 to 25 percent in the silt and fine sand fraction
Hyer soils: have hues of 7.5YR and 25 to 35 percent sand
Tensleep soils: have hues of 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Wyotite soils: are slightly acid to neutral in the Bt horizon

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: plains and hills
Slopes: range from 0 to 15 percent
Parent material: loess
Mean annual precipitation: 11 to 14 inches, most of which falls during the months of April through September.
Mean annual air temperature: 47 to 53 degrees F.
Average summer temperature: 68 to 74 degrees F.
Frost-free season: 125 to 155 days
Elevation ranges from 4,000 to 6,500 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bacid, Campo, and Fort soils. Bacid and Campo soils are on plains and are in the fine family. Fort soils are on side slopes and are in the fine-loamy family.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are rangeland or nonirrigated cropland. Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, galleta, sand dropseed, and western wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 69. This series is extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES PROPOSED: Lincoln County, Colorado, 1996.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 inches.
Argillic horizon: 3 to 14 inches.

Remarks: The Wilid series replaces Wiley in the Ustic-Aridic moisture regime. The Wiley series was reclassified from Ustic Haplargids to Aridic Haplustalfs. The name Wilid is coined from Wiley.

Keys to Soil Taxonomy used: Eighth Edition, 1998