LOCATION BRYCAN UT+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Brycan very fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A2--5 to 12 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--12 to 30 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--30 to 37 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine and few medium tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
BC--37 to 47 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, very friable; few fine roots; few fine random tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
2Bkb--47 to 62 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine and medium random tubular pores; strongly calcareous; carbonates are in veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah; 1.5 miles east of Triangle Bryce Canyon; NE 1/4 sec. 8, T. 36 S., R. 3 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 20 to 36 inches thick. The combined thickness of the A and Bt horizons ranges from 22 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 40 to 47 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 59 to 64 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chromas of 2 to 4 dry, and 2 or 3 moist. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. This horizon lacks the clay increase to qualify for an argillic horizon.
The BC and 2Bkb horizons have hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is clay loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam and is gravelly below 30 inches in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cordeston, Enbar, Frolic, Jodero, McGaffey, Mitch, Nutrioso, and Straw series. Cordeston soils have mollic epipedon 36 to 50 inches thick. Enbar soils lack cambic horizons. Frolic soils have mottles in the series control section and water tables at 3 to 5 feet. Jodero, Mitch, and Nutrioso soils lack cambic horizons. Also, Jodero soils have mollic epipedons more than 40 inches thick and Nutrioso soils have chroma of 1 or 2 throughout. McGaffey soils lack cambic horizons and have hue redder than 7.5YR. Straw soils lack cambic horizons and have chroma of 2 or less in the B horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brycan soils are gently sloping to moderately steep alluvial fans and valleys at elevations of 7,600 to 8,600 feet. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in deep alluvium from limestone, sandstone, and shale. The climate is dry subhumid. The average annual precipitation is 13 to 20 inches. Mean annual temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer temperature is 59 to 64 degrees F. and the freeze-free period is 70 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Osote, Pahreah, and Paunsaugunt soils. Osote soils have mollic epipedons less than 16 inches thick. Pahreah soils lack cambic horizons and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. Paunsaugunt soils have a lithic contact at depths of less than 20 inches and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential vegetation is prairie junegrass, mountain brome, mountain muhly and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Utah. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garfield County (Paunsaugunt Area), Utah, 1969.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Alluvial soils.