LOCATION BERTELSON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bertelson sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
A2--4 to 8 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bk--8 to 37 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 36 inches thick)
C1--37 to 49 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose; few fine pores; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C2--49 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Sevier County, Utah; 2.5 miles southwest of Monroe; about 660 feet north and 660 feet east of the southwest corner of section 20, T.25S., R.3W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches ranges from 47 to 54 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature ranges from 66 to 69 degrees F. These soils are continually moist in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 75 days out of the 120 days following the winter solstice and are dry 60 to 80 consecutive days in more than 7 out of the 10 years in all parts of the moisture control section within the 3 month period following the summer solstice.
Rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inch control section range from 0 to 35 percent, principally gravel.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It is sandy loam or loam. This horizon is moderately or strongly alkaline, and ranges from 4 to 14 inches thick.
The Bk and C horizons have a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. The particle-size control section is a loam, sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam or gravelly loam, and averages 8 to 18 percent clay. The soil is influenced by volcanic tuff and the bulk density is estimated to be less than 1.2. Rock fragments typically are 5 to 15 percent, but range from 5 to 35 percent. Below a depth of 40 inches texture range from loam to sand; in some pedons they are gravelly or very gravelly and range from 10 to 60 percent rock fragments. Reaction ranges from moderately to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Declo (ID), Escalante (UT), Palisade (UT), Somsen (ID) and Strevell (ID) series. Declo soils have dominantly very fine sandy loam, silt loam, and loam and contain less medium and coarse sand in the control section. Escalante, Palisade and Strevell soils are not influenced by volcanic tuff and have estimated bulk density of 1.2 or more. Somesen soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Strevell soils have lithologic discontinuity to gravelly materials within the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bertelson soils are at elevations of 5,400 to 5,800 feet. They occur dominantly on north facing slopes, on alluvial fans. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from volcanic tuff and intermediate igneous rocks that have very low bulk density. The climate is semiarid, and the average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 52 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is 64 to 67 degrees F. The frost free season is 115 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hiko Peak, Hoye and Monroe soils. Hiko Peak soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments. Hoye soils have argillic horizons and lack a calcic horizon. Monroe soils have thick mollic epipedon and lack a calcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for irrigated cropland and rangeland. Principal crops are alfalfa, small grains, sugar beets and silage corn. Native vegetation is shadscale, Indian ricegrass, cheatgrass and Russian thistle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The south part of Sevier County, Utah; MLRA 28A and 47. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
REMARKS: Further study is needed to clearly separate the Bertelson, Escalante and Palisade series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 8 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone of carbonate accumulation from 8 to 37 inches (Bk horizon).
Xeric feature - Aridic moisture regime bordering on Xeric.
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
Classification changed from Xerollic Calciorthid to Xeric Haplocalcids in 9/94.
In Utah this soil is correlated to a semi-desert range site.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.