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PUEBLO AREA, COLORADO thick lime coatings on bottom of pebbles and cobbles; moderately alkaline; clear, wavy boundary. C?-21 to GO inches, very pale brown (lOYR 7/3) stratified gravel and coarse sand, brown (lOYR 5/3) when moist; single grained; Loose; nonsticky and nonelastic; 50 per- cent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; calcareous; moderately alkaline. The AI, AC, and Clca horizons range from very gravelly sandy loam to very gravelly sand. Coarse fragments make up 35 to SO percent of the C2 horizon, and 5 to 25 percent of these fragments are more than 3 inches in diameter. CaE-Cascajo very gravelly sandy loam, 5 to 25 percent slopes. This soil is on high alluvial terraces along the major drainageways. The areas cover as much as 200 acres. This soil has the profile described as representative of the series, but in small areas in the southwestern part of the survey area along the Muddy Creek drainageway it has a thicker, darker colored surface layer, and in other areas on the Ft. Carson Military Reservation it is redder. Included with this soil in mapping are areas of Cascajo-Shale outcrop complex in narrow strips on very steep side slopes along the Arkansas River. These areas make up about 20 percent of the acreage. Runoff is moderately slow, and the hazard of erosion is slight. This soil is a source of commercial gravel. In many places near Pueblo, the gravel is strip mined down to 13 the underlying shale. This soil has potential for wild- life habitat. The native vegetation is mostly blue grams, sand dropseed, needleandthread, cactus, and yucca (fig. 3j. Capability trait VIIs-2, nonirrigated; Gravel Breaks range site. CsE-Cascajo-Shale outcrop complex, 5 to 30 per- cent slopes. This complex is on small shale knolls, ridges, spurs, and scarps that are capped with Cascajo very gravelly sandy loam. It is made up of about 60 percent Cascajo very gravelly sandy loam and 40 percent Shale outcrop and shale-derived material. Areas of this complex cover as much as 200 acres. Very steep areas of Shale outcrop are on the scarps. There is gravel along the rim of these areas. Runoff is rapid, and the hazard of erosion is high. This complex has a sparse plant cover, and in most places it is severely eroded and dissected by gullies. This complex is a limited source of gravel and has little value for grazing. It has potential for wildlife use if the habitat can be improved. Capability unit VIIs-2, nonirrigated; Cascajo soil in Gravel Breaks range site; Shale outcrop not assigned to a range site. Denver Series The Denver series consists of deep, well-drained soils. These soils formed on uplands in clayey alluvium or residuum that was derived from shale. The slope is 3 to 9 percent, and elevation is 6,000 to 7,200 feet. The average annual precipitation is 17 inches. The average annual temperature is 48° F, and the frost-free season is 115 to 145 days. The native vegetation is mainly plains grasses. In a representative profile the surface layer is grayish-brown clay loam about 7 inches thick. The upper part of the subsoil is grayish-brown clay loam and clay about 15 inches thick, and the lower part is grayish-brown clay about 14 inches thick. The under- lying layer is grayish-brown clay about 14 inches thick. Figure 2.-Profile of Cascajo very gravelly sandy loam. Figure 3.-Cascajo soils tan provide suitable food and cover for wildlife, but water is not available in many places.