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E~iHIBIT I (Cont'd) <br />SOILS INF0Rh4ATI0N <br />The soils found at the Sievers Pit proposed expansion area <br />are generally of only two types. The major soil is a moderately <br />deep silty or sometimes sandy clay loam and probably belongs to the <br />Atencio soil of the Atencio-Azeltine Complex that occurs all along <br />the Roaring Fork Valley. This soil tends to compact under heavy <br />use, but is also quite productive when supplied with sufficient <br />water. The soil is deep, being about 12 to 48 inches in depth <br />(average is about 15 to 18 inches). There is a very clear boundary <br />between the soil and the bedrock which is a very deep gravel <br />deposit. Generally these soils are found on the terraces and in <br />the concave low areas formed by the long abandoned stream channels. <br />The other soil is a very rocky silt or even sand with a small <br />quantity of clay sized particles. It has a fair fit for the Azeltine <br />soil, but is even more gravelly in many places. Its surface is <br />covered with about 50 to 75 percent rock in the form of cobbles and <br />boulders up to 4 to 5 feet in diameter. Basically it is not unlike <br />the bedrock under the deep soils described above and, therefore, <br />appears to represent an exposure of the bedrock at the terrace <br />crests. Because most of the rock will be crushed in the mining <br />process, these terraces will be removed and replaced with a deeper <br />more favorable soil which, if given sufficient water, will make <br />good pasture. <br />It is recommended that all available topsoil be saved, <br />irrespective of type. This includes the soil layer to the bedrock, <br />but mould not include any soils less than 4 to 6 inches deep. These <br />shallow soils tend to be very rocky and would not make good topsoil. <br />This should allow sufficient soil material to cover the area to be <br />reclaimed to pasture with a minimum of 10 to 12 inches of soil. <br />In places the soil depth could be increased to 18 inches, but any <br />greater depth than that would not result in a significant benefit. <br />The backslopes should be covered with about 6 inches of soil and <br />vegetated with the dryland mixture recommended for reclamation. <br />Sagebrush will no doubt invade the terraces as well as Rabbitbrush, <br />and this will aid in giving the site a natural terrace appearance. <br />No evidence of hazardous soils could be found except for a few <br />small saline areas that appear to be more the result of intensive <br />use by cattle with the deposits resulting from their urine than <br />the nature of the soil itself. There is no evident reason why <br />the soils are not adequate for reclamation, and with the removal <br />of the rock the soils should provide a good growth medium. <br />- 26 - <br />