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1.0 INTRODUCTION 0 <br />Horizon Soil Consulting (Horizon) completed an Order 2 Soil Survey for Norwest <br />Corporation and Shell Frontier Oil & Gas Inc. during July 2009, for the RD&D Lease COC- <br />69166. The purpose of this report is to provide a complete and accurate Order 2 survey of <br />the soils in the study area. This report is intended to provide all the pertinent information to <br />aid in formulating a practical and successful reclamation plan addressing soil suitability, <br />salvage depth recommendations, and available topsoil volume. <br />1.1 LOCATION <br />The RD&D Lease COC-69166, a'/a-Section parcel hereinafter called the "study area", which <br />includes two proposed access roads to CR-24, is also known as "Site 2 - Nahcolite Site" or <br />"2nd Generation ICP Project". The study area is located in the Piceance Basin <br />approximately 39 miles SW of Meeker, Colorado, just off of CR-24. The specific location is <br />in the western half of Section 4 in T2S, R98W on the Wolf Ridge SE, CO, USGS Quadrangle <br />(see Figure 1- Topographic Map) (USGS 1988). <br />The study area lies in the Semiarid Benchlands and Canyonlands Ecoregion. Broad grass-, <br />shrub-, and woodland-covered benches and mesas characterize the Semiarid Benchlands and <br />Canyonlands ecoregion. Areas of high relief alternate with areas of low relief. Low <br />escarpments separate remnant mesa tops and narrow canyons from surrounding benches. <br />Bedrock exposures are common along rims, escarpments, and on steep slopes. Soils in the • <br />region are mostly sandy and support warm season grasses, winterfat, Mormon tea, saltbrush, <br />and sagebrush. Pinyon pine and juniper occur on shallow, stony soils. Average annual <br />precipitation varies from 10 to 18 inches (Chapman et al. 2006). <br />1.2 REGIONAL DESCRIPTION <br />The study area is situated within the Piceance Creek Basin in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. <br />The Piceance Creek Basin is located in the northeastern part of the Colorado Plateau <br />physiographic province. The Basin has broad structural topography which tilts gently toward <br />the center. The trellis-like network of drainageways in the Basin has produced rows of <br />nearly parallel ridges and valleys that are oriented to the north and northeast, trending toward <br />the White River. The ridges are relatively wide and convex and are gently sloping near the <br />tops. <br />The central part of the Piceance Creek Basin is capped with calcareous sandstone and <br />siltstone. Nearly vertical cliffs of hard, impermeable marlstone are at the rim of the basin, <br />and are most prominent near Cathedral Bluffs. <br />0