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<br />
<br />Cascajo Series
<br />The Cascajo series consists of sloping to hilly,
<br />excessively drained, gravelly soils. For the most
<br />part, Cascajo soils are on gravelly escarpments
<br />bordering the valley of the Arkansas River.
<br />In a typical profile the surface layer, about 6
<br />inches thick, is gravelly loam. In the upper part
<br />it is light brow:tish gray and has a loose consistence
<br />when dry. In the lower pare it is dark brawn and
<br />has a soft consistence when dry. The nest layer,
<br />about 15 inches thick, is very pale-brown cobbly,
<br />very gravelly loam. It is rich in lime end has e
<br />thick lime coating on the bottom surface of pebbles
<br />and cobbles. Underlying the above horizon is strat-
<br />ified sand and gravel. From about 36 to 45 inches
<br />is brownish-yellow silty clay that is very strongly
<br />calcareous and contains many lime concretions. In
<br />plates, these soils are underlain by pale-yellow
<br />soft shale at varying depths.
<br />Because of the steep slope of these soils, sur-
<br />face runoff is rapid. These soils ere rapidly per-
<br />meable, have a low water-holding capacity, and are
<br />subject to a moderate water erosion hazard.
<br />Most of the acreage is part of areas used as
<br />range. The native vegetation is made up of blue
<br />gr ama, galleta, side-oats grams, yucca, snakeweed,
<br />and cholla cactus. These soils are a good source of
<br />coaune total gravel.
<br />Typical profile of Cascaio soil in an are of
<br />range and gravel pits, 530 feet west and 50 feet
<br />south of the northeast corner of sec. 26, 23 S.,
<br />R. 57 K.
<br />A11--D to 3 inches, light brownish -gra' (101'R 6/2),
<br />gravelly loam, dark grayish bro (1 OYR 4/2)
<br />when moist; weak, thin, plate ructure that
<br />parts to weak, very fine, c loose wt~er.
<br />dry, very friable w.`,e r. no's roots cen,mer:;
<br />non calcareous; a<h rpt, smo .h hnur,dary.
<br />A12--3 to 6 inthe_, dart.-brow-: D:'F 4/?) gravelly
<br />loan., dark t•rown (]i:SF S' w*.e^. nets:; rtader-
<br />ate, very' fine, tr.rcb r~cture; soft whr r.
<br />drl', very friable whe moist; ror,s co T On;
<br />nencaicarer,:=_; Clear sr.~oot'. boundary.
<br />Clca--F to ?1 inches, ve- pale brow-. (101'F. ~/3)
<br />coth]y, ve r;' gran .~~.~ ]oac., lig'-.: v~e'. to-ish
<br />browr (]OYF 6!4) ~.en moist; st ru cture;ess;
<br />hard then dry, cry friable whew. most; rod s
<br />temmr..; this! ime coating on button o.' peb-
<br />bles a-~d cob es; strongly cal careo~_e; clear,
<br />way ~~ bounds
<br />C2--71 to 36 inc es, banded ta'. care ous sands and
<br />gravel; ]ear, wavy hou ndar;.
<br />IICS--36 to 4- inches, brownisF.-ye;]oc (]01'R 6/E)
<br />silty ay, yellowish brown (]Ol'R 5/6) when
<br />mots structureless; hard when dry, firm when
<br />mot ;many, coarse, prominent lime concre-
<br />ti s; very strongly calcareous; gradual,
<br />s oth boundary.
<br />R--45 0 60 inches, pale-yellow (2.51' 7/4) shale,
<br />pale olive (2.SY 6/4) when moist; mediuff: end
<br />coarse, platy Smoi. ~~ Hil; mar]; very strongly
<br />calcareous.
<br />Depth to underlying shale ranges from 1 to sev-
<br />eral feet. In places the sand and gravel layer
<br />contains lenses of pale-brown silty clay that is up
<br />to 18 inches thick or sems of crystalline gypsum
<br />that are 1 to 5 inches thick.
<br />Cascajo soils are associated rith Harvey and
<br />Otero soils. They differ from them in being sore
<br />sloping and gravelly.
<br />Cascajo soils and Graven land (2 to 25 percent
<br />slopes (Cg .--Thzs mapping unit occurs mainly on
<br />ridges and short, steep slopes bordering the irri-
<br />gated valley land along the Arkansas River. Most of
<br />the acreage occurs in elongated areas up to about 60
<br />rods wide and 200 acres in size. About 75 percent
<br />of each area has a profile similar to that described
<br />as typical for the Cascajo series. About 25 percent
<br />is disturbed areas, gravel pits, or eroded side
<br />slopes of V-shaped drainages.
<br />The principal inclusions are Harvey-St aneham
<br />loans, 0 to 3 percent slopes, and Otero sandy loam,
<br />1 to 5 perttnt slopes. Total inclusions account for
<br />about 10 percent of each mapped area.
<br />This mapping unit is used for range and as a
<br />source of commercial gravel, but it does not make a
<br />productive range site because of the droughtiness of
<br />the soils. Most areas are too small to fence off
<br />from other range. The soils are suited for uses
<br />such as hay and feedlots or building sites, and as
<br />potential habitat for upland game birds and rabbits.
<br />(Nonirri gated capability unit VIIs-2; Gravel Breaks
<br />range site)
<br />Dryer Series
<br />The Gw?•er series toast sts of deep, undulatir. ,
<br />excessively drained, sandy soils of the up]an
<br />T.'~ec are me st lv ir. the west-central nenirri ed
<br />part of the count ~~ and are moderately exte ice.
<br />]r: a t}pica] profile the surface lave about i]
<br />inches thick, is pale-browr. to browr. 1 ;: sand. It
<br />has a :oose toast st ence rh er, dry or est. the
<br />t rr.si tional layer, about i inches ,ick, is hrowT~
<br />]oa:.p sand, slightly hard whet dr and fri ab ie when
<br />mc:st. It, like tl:e su: face ]a r, is fret of lime.
<br />The subst rat urt. below a depth about ]8 ir. ches is
<br />]try, light yellowish-brown r very pale browr, ]oaa;•
<br />sand. From 18 to 25 inch the substratum has a
<br />loose consistence whew. er met st. Below a depth
<br />of 25 inches, it is sl' ht ly hard when dr.• and very
<br />friable when moist.
<br />because of the pid ir.t aka rate and rapid perme-
<br />abi]ity of Dwyer oils there is almost no surface
<br />runoff. These oils have low water-holding capac-
<br />ity, and the xard of wind erosion is high where
<br />grasses ar vergraxed.
<br />All of he acreage is used as range. The native
<br />grasses re mainly sand bluestem, Dlue grams, gal-
<br />]eta, ndian ricegrass, and side-oats grams.
<br />Typical profile of Dwyer loamy sand in an area of
<br />ra.^.ge, 0.15 mile south and 0.04 mile east of the
<br />northwest corner of sec. ]S, S. 25 5., R. 59 h'.
<br />lD
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