Integrating soils and geomorphology in mountains—an example from the Front Range of Colorado

Soil distribution in high mountains reflects the impact of several soil-forming factors. Soil geomorphologists use key pedological properties to estimate ages of Quaternary deposits of various depositional environments, estimate long-term stability and instability of landscapes, and make inferences on past climatic change. Once the influence of the soil-forming factors is known, soils can be used to help interpret some aspects of landscape evolution that otherwise might go undetected.The Front Range of Colorado rises from the plains of the Colorado Piedmont at about 1700 m past a widespread, dissected Tertiary erosion surface between 2300 and 2800 m up to an alpine Continental Divide at 3600 to over 4000 m. Pleistocene valley glaciers reached the western edge of the erosion surface. Parent rocks are broadly uniform (granitic and gneissic). Climate varies from 46 cm mean annual precipitation (MAP) and 11 °C mean annual temperature (MAT) in the plains to 102 cm and −4 °C, respectively, near the range crest. Vegetation follows climate with grassland in the plains, forest in the mountains, and tundra above 3450 m. Soils reflect the bioclimatic transect from plains to divide: A/Bw or Bt/Bk or K (grassland) to A/E/Bw or Bt/C (forest) to A/Bw/C (tundra). Corresponding soil pH values decrease from 8 to less than 5 with increasing elevation. The pedogenic clay minerals dominant in each major vegetation zone are: smectite (grassland), vermiculite (forest), and 1.0–1.8 nm mixed-layer clays (tundra). Within the lower forested zone, the topographic factor (aspect) results in more leached, colder soils, with relatively thin O horizons, well-expressed E horizons and Bt horizons (Alfisols) on N-facing slopes, whereas soils with thicker A horizons, less developed or no E horizons, and Bw or Bt horizons (Mollisols) are more common on S-facing slopes. The topographic factor in the tundra results in soil patterns as a consequence of wind-redistributed snow and the amount of time it lingers on the landscape. An important parent material factor is airborne dust, which results in fine-grained surface horizons and, if infiltrated, contributes to clay accumulation in some Bt horizons. The time factor is evaluated by soil chronosequence studies of Quaternary deposits in tundra, upper forest, and plains grassland. Few soils in the study area are >10,000 years old in the tundra, >100,000 years old in the forest, and >2 million years old in the grassland. Stages of granite weathering vary with distance from the Continental Divide and the best developed is grus near the sedimentary/granitic rock contact just west of the mountain front. Grus takes a minimum of 100,000 years to form.Some of the relations indicated by the soil map patterns are: (1) parts of the erosion surface have been stable for 100,000 years or more; (2) development of grus near the mountain front could be due in part to pre-Pennsylvanian weathering; (3) a few soil properties reflect Quaternary paleoclimate; and (4) a correlation between soil development in the canyons and stream incision rates.     

Spatiotemporal index for analyzing controls on snow climatology: application in the Colorado Front Range

Mountain snowpacks are important water supplies that are susceptible to climate change, yet snow measurements are sparse relative to snowpack heterogeneity. We used remote sensing to derive a spatiotemporal index of snow climatology that reveals patterns in snow accumulation, persistence, and ablation. Then we examined how this index relates to climate, terrain, and vegetation. Analyses were based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer eight-day snow cover from 2000 to 2010 for a mountain watershed in the Colorado Front Range, USA. The Snow Cover Index (SCI) was calculated as the fraction of years that were snow covered for each pixel. The proportion of SCI variability explained by independent variables was evaluated using regression analysis. Independent variables included elevation, northing, easting, slope, aspect, northness, solar radiation, precipitation, temperature, and vegetation cover. Elevation was the dominant control on SCI patterns, due to its influence on both temperature and precipitation. Grouping SCI values by elevation, we identified three distinct snow zones in the basin: persistent, transitional, and intermittent. The transitional snow zone represents an area that is sensitive to losing winter snowpack. The SCI can be applied to other basins or regions to identify dominant controls on snow cover patterns and areas sensitive to snow loss.     

The occurrence of alpine permafrost in the Front Range of Colorado

Permafrost distribution, or ground that remains frozen for at least 2 years, has been modeled using a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) variables, and land cover in alpine regions of the world. In the Front Range, however, no such empirical models have been developed, and field data are restricted in spatial extent, but rock glaciers are in abundance. Here, I present a probabilistic logistic regression model that is based on topoclimatic information (elevation and aspect) for rock glaciers derived from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 10-m DEMs. Classes of land cover, obtained from an Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image classification, were assigned weights and were then multiplied by the regression results to refine estimates. The effectiveness of the model was evaluated by comparing mean probability scores with rock glacier activity categories, Mean Annual Air Temperature (MAAT) from climatic stations on Niwot Ridge, and Bottom Temperature of winter Snow (BTS) measurements, while a Monte Carlo simulation was used to detect uncertainty associated with the original DEM. Permafrost scores >50% covered about 8.9% (242 km²) of the study area (2722 km²) with the highest scores clustered around Longs and Rowe Peaks. Permafrost locations showed a strong correlation with rock glacier activity classes, the −1.0 °C MAAT isotherm, and BTS measurements less than −3.0 °C. The uncertainty analysis revealed that slight global differences exist between the original and error prone DEM; however, local variations in aspect caused the most uncertainty. These results indicate that the model accurately represents regional distribution of permafrost. Therefore, topoclimatic information from rock glaciers and land cover, when combined with an uncertainty analysis, can effectively be used to map the occurrence of Front Range permafrost, providing an imperative tool for cartographers, planners, and geocryologists.     

Longevity and progressive abandonment of the Rocky Flats surface, Front Range, Colorado

The post-orogenic evolution of the Laramide landscape of the western U.S. has been characterized by late Cenozoic channel incision of basins and their adjacent ranges. One means of constraining the incision history of basins is dating the remnants of gravel-capped surfaces above modern streams. Here, we focus on an extensive remnant of the Rocky Flats surface between Golden and Boulder, Colorado, and use in situ-produced ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentrations in terrace alluvium to constrain the Quaternary history of this surface. Coal and Ralston Creeks, both tributaries of the South Platte River, abandoned the Rocky Flats surface and formed the Verdos and Slocum pediments, which are cut into Cretaceous bedrock between Rocky Flats and the modern stream elevations. Rocky Flats alluvium ranges widely in age, from > 2 Ma to  400 ka, with oldest ages to the east and younger ages closer to the mountain front. Numerical modeling of isotope concentration depth profiles suggests that individual sites have experienced multiple resurfacing events. Preliminary results indicate that Verdos and Slocum alluvium along Ralston Creek, which is slightly larger than Coal Creek, is several hundred thousand years old. Fluvial incision into these surfaces appears therefore to progress headward in response to downcutting of the South Platte River. The complex ages of these surfaces call into question any correlation of such surfaces based solely on their elevation above the modern channel.     

Pastoralism within the cadastral system: Seasonal interactions and access agreements between pastoralists and non-pastoralists in Northern Kenya

The imposition of exclusive statutory real property rights in or near pastoralists’ areas and their migration corridors permanently excludes and extinguishes pastoralist rights to mobility and access to required resources. Seasonal interactions with non-pastoralist land use actors often occur during pastoralist migrations between rangelands and highlands or dry season grazing areas. In an embedded case study in Northern Kenya, in which interviews based on semi-structured questionnaires were held with pastoralists and non-pastoralists, we investigated how non-pastoralist land use actors manage encounters with migrating pastoralists within the context of the Land Administration system. We found that the majority of non-pastoralist land use actors encounter migrating pastoralists during distinct periods. Most never allow herders access to privately owned land. A small proportion allow access and make temporary verbal or written access agreements containing provisions on grazing fees, grazing regulations and rules to protect private property. The majority of non-pastoralists are unwilling to have access arrangements formalized. We argue that land rights adjudication should identify and confer all existing land rights to all users to avoid obstruction or renegotiation for access, and recommend the inclusion of pastoralists’ access rights as real property rights in the Land Administration system.