PERMFILE135510 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

12 ~,iT, r ,• :~±h? Campo Series SOIL SURVEY SERIES 1960, NO. 2S The Campo series cmtsists of deep, well-drained soils that developed iu calcareous loess on uphuuls. Thesa soils occur in all pacts of the county. They are not ex- tensive and generally are in areas that receive runo$' from higher areas. The surface layer of these soils is about 5 inches thick. It is light brownish gray when dry and clarlc grayish brou-n when moist. In most cultivated areas the surface layer is clay ]oaut, but areas of range have a thin silt loam surface layer. The subsoil is dark grayish-brown heavy silty clay loam, clay loam, or light clay that has prismatic and bloclry structure. These soils normally are leached of lime to a depth of L: to 20 inches. Jost below the subsoil is a zone of lime accumulation in which the lime is in the form of mottles about one-quarter of an inch in diameter. The substratum is pale-brown silt. loam in most places and occurs at a depth of about 3 feet, but in a few places in the southern part of the county the subst-ratmn is areddish-colored clay loam. Areas of Campo soils in range normally have a thin light-colored horizon below the surface layer. Cultivation generally mixes this thin layer with the surface layer. Campo soils occur with Baca soils but are stronger in sh•ucture, finer in testnre, and deeper to lime. They have a lighter colored surface layer than the Richfield soils and have more clay in the subsoil. The native vegetation on Campo soils consists of blue Jgranta aucl bnffalograss. Campo clay loam, 0 to 3 percent slopes (CaA).-This is the only Campo soil mapped in the county. It occurs on all the uplands except those in the eastent part of the county south of Aolly. It is mainly in the south-central part near Two Buttes. The areas are nearly level or gently sloping. The slopes are less than l percent in most places, and in only a few places are they more than 2 percent. In some places this soil is in shallow depressions. The areas in depressions in the drier parts of the county generally receive runoff from adjacent soils. Two of these depressions in the northwestern corner of the county are large and resemble lakebeds. In these two depressions, the soil is finer textured and darker colored than the typical Campo soils, but it can be used in much the same way. This soil is nearly uniform in characteristics. If it has been cultivated, part of the subsoil is generally mixed with the surface layer and the texture of the surface layer is silty clay loam. Where this soIl is in range, the texture of the surface layer is typically silt loam. Included in some areas mapped as this soil are small areas of Baca soils. Also included are small areas o£ Richfield soils that are east of Two Buttes. This Campo soil takes in water slowly, and it. has a very slowly permeable_or-slowly permeable subsoil. The water-holding capacity is high, and about half the water that is held is readily avai~able to plants. The soil is moderately dif&cult to moderately easy to work and to manage, but it has high natural Fertility. Most of this soil is dry farmed or used fur range, but some areas are irriggated. AV hen weather is favorable, good viehls of dry-fzu•med wheat and sorghum are pro- duced. Crops adapted to the area also make high yields in irrigated areas. This soil is moderately susceptible to wind erosion, but erosion can be cmttrolled easily by bringing clods up to the surface. (Irrigated capability unit IIs-1; dryhuul capability unit I~'c-1; Loamy Plains range site) Cascajo Series The Cascajo series consists of excessively drained soils that are moderately shallow over mixed sandy and grLVelly material of the Ogallala formation. These soils are ou uplands, mostly in the southern and western parts of the county almtg Clay Creek and Two Butte Creek. The surface layer of these soils is grayish-brown, very friable coarse sandy loam 4 to 8 inches thick. The sub- soil is grayish-brown or brown coarse loamy sand or coarse sandy loam, and it contains some gravel. A layer of gravelly coarse loamy sand is at a depth of 12 to 30 inches. Lt the lower part of this layer is a zone where lime has accumulated. Below a depth of 30 inches is gravelly sand, gravel, or gravelly coarse loamy sand. Water penetrates these soils at a moderately rapid rate. In most places these soils are leached of lime to a depth of 12 to 2-I inches, but in some places they are calcareous at the surface. These soils are variable in characteristics but tend to be graveAy and sandy. Gravel is on the surface in some places. In some small areas, gravelly sandy loam extends from the surface to a depth of 24 inches and is nuderlain by reddish-brown clay loans, saauly clay loam, or sandy loam. Cascajo soils occur with Nihill soils. They are deeper to underh~ing gravel than those soils. These soils are used mainly for range. A few small areas are in cultivated fields, although these soils are not suitable for cultivatimr. The native vegetation is bnffalograss, blue grama, sideoats gram a, yucca, and sand sage. Cascajo sandy loam, 3 to 25 percent slopes (CdE).- This soil is extensive in the southwestern and southern parts of the county along Clay Creek and Two Butte Creek. Smaller areas occur along other drainageways in the southern part of the county. Figure 8.-Large gully in Breaks-Alluvial land complex that has been enlarged at its head by erosion.