LOCATION BORVANT UT+NV

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
08/2012

BORVANT SERIES

The Borvant series consists of shallow to a petrocalcic horizon, well drained soils that formed in alluvium or colluvium derived from limestone, sandstone and igneous rock. Borvant soils are on fan remnants, hills, and ridges on mountains. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 350 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic, shallow Petrocalcic Palexerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Borvant gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; 25 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonates are disseminated and in fine caliche fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 25 cm thick)

A2--8 to 20 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, few very fine roots; few fine pores; 30 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (37 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonates are disseminated and in limestone fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

A3--20 to 36 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (50 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonates are disseminated and in caliche fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bk--36 to 48 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 75 percent gravel-size fractured petrocalcic horizon fragments and 3 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (86 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 28 cm thick)

Bkkm1--48 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) cemented material, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; very rigid; few fine, and few medium roots matted on the surface; about 5 percent cobbles; indurated to very strongly cemented by calcium carbonate; continuous very pale brown (10YR 8/3) indurated lamina at the top of the horizon, continuous 0.3 to 1 cm thick platy calcium carbonate lamellae throughout; violently effervescent (83 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 50 cm thick)

Bkkm2--76 to 97 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) cemented material very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; 10 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (68 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

2Bk1--97 to 122 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; 55 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (33 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonates are disseminated and coated on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

2Bk2--122 to 150 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely cobbly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose nonsticky and nonplastic; 50 percent cobbles and 25 percent gravel; violent effervescent (26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonates are disseminated and coated on rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

2R--150 cm; bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Utah County, Utah; about 1 mile west and 0.5 miles north of Indianola at the northeast corner of a gravel pit; approximately 825 feet north and 800 feet east of the southwest corner of section 32, T. 11 S., R. 4 E.; USGS Spencer Canyon 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 48 minutes 52 seconds N and longitude 111 degrees 30 minutes 18 seconds W; UTM zone 12N 456784E, 4407280N, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring and continuously dry in all parts for significant periods in summer and fall; xeric soil moisture regime bordering aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C.
Depth to the petrocalcic horizon: 25 to 50 cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 60 percent.
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 2 percent.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 18 to 36 cm thick.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent including the carbonate in the rock fragments of less than 20 mm.

Particle-size control section: Total clay content: 25 to 35 percent.
Non-carbonate clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 35 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles, few stones.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 to 3.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.

Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR to 5YR.
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 85 percent gravel, cobbles and hardpan fragments>
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 90 percent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bkkm horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Some pedons have accessory silica. (Bkqm)

2Bk horizon:
Value: 7 or 8 dry
Rock fragments: 60 to 85 percent gravel and cobbles, few stones
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Borvant soils are on fan remnants, hills, and ridges on mountains. They formed in alluvium or colluvium derived from limestone and sandstone and igneous rock. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. Elevations range from 1,400 to 2,450 m. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual temperature is 7 to 11.5 degrees C. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 400 mm. The freeze-free period is 90 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Amtoft, Atepic, Fontreen, Lizzant and Lodar soils. None of these soils have petrocalcic horizons. Also, Amtoft and Atepic soils do not have mollic epipedons; Lodar and Amtoft soils have lithic contacts at depths of 50 cm or less.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium to very high surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland. The present vegetation is Utah juniper, pinyon, black sagebrush, cliffrose, Indian ricegrass, rabbitbrush, and slender wheatgrass. These soils are correlated to Upland ecological sites in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Utah and eastern Nevada. These soils are extensive. MLRAs 28A and 47.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete Valley Soil Survey Area, Utah, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 36 cm. (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Petrocalcic horizon: The zone from 48 to 97 cm. (Bkkm1 and Bkkm2 horizons).
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 48 cm. (Bk and part of the A3 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has full characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), as soil survey sample number S70UT-049-006 (pedon # 70C0026). It is also published on p. 296-297 of Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 39.

Previous authors and editors include: TER/VLP/MJD.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.