LOCATION BLUEFLAT UT+NM

Established Series
Rev. WRF/CSW/JWB
04/2011

BLUEFLAT SERIES

The Blueflat series consists of moderately deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in alluvium from sedimentary rocks over residuum weathered from gypsiferous shale. These soils are on hills of uplifted portions of shale pediments and have slopes of 2 to 25 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 6 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Blueflat loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 6 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent indurated shale and sandstone channers; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Bwn--6 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

By1--9 to 23 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; soil matrix is noncalcareous in about 90 percent of this horizon, 10 percent is moderately calcareous; gypsum occurs as moderately thick coatings and streaks on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)

By2--23 to 27 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; very few fine roots; gypsum occurs as thin coatings and streaks on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)

Cr--27 to 37 inches; weathered shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Grand County, Utah; about 10 miles south of Crescent Junction; located in the northwest 1/4 southwest 1/4, sec. 28, T. 23 S., R. 19 E.; Valley City USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 46 minues 48 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 49 minutes 54 seconds W., NAD 27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that peaks from July to October and falls evenly throughout the remainder of the year. Aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 53 to 57 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to strongly weathered shale
Depth to gypsic horizon: 9 to 12 inches
Thickness of the gypsic horizon: 15 to 21 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers and flagstones
0 to 15 percent parachanners
Gypsum content, less than 20 mm fraction: 5 to 15 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: channery silty clay loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent channers
0 to 5 percent cobbles

Bwn horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay or clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent channers
0 to 2 percent gravel
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.

By horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay, parachannery silty clay, silty clay loam or clay
Gypsum: 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers
15 to 35 percent parachanners
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blueflat soils are on the uplifted portions of the shale pediment and on shale hills at elevations of 4,000 to 6,100 feet. Slopes are 2 to 25 percent. The soils formed in slope alluvium from sedimentary rocks over residuum weathered from gypsiferous shale. The mean annual temperature is 48 to 55 degrees F, and the average annual precipitation is 5 to 9 inches, with peak periods in July to October and evenly distributed throughout the remainder of the year. The freeze-free period is 130 to 170 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chipeta and Sagers soils. Chipeta and Sagers soils do not have gypsic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential vegetation is mainly galleta, Nuttall saltbush, Indian ricegrass, and budsage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern and central Utah; MLRA 34B, 37. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand County, Utah, 1982.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon)

Gypsic horizon: the zone from 9 to 27 inches. (By1, By2 horizons)

Paralithic contact: weathered shale at 27 inches (Cr horizon)

Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.