LOCATION CASTLEDALE UT

Established Series
Rev. LDS/LA/CSW/JWB
03/2011

CASTLEDALE SERIES

The Castledale series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from mixed sedimentary rocks, dominantly sandstone and shale. Castledale soils are on flood plains, stream terraces and valley floors. Slopes range from 1 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustifluventic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Castledale fine sandy loam, on a southeast facing, 1 percent slope in a pasture at an elevation of 1,810 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on October 7, 1996 the soil was moist from 0 to 8 cm.

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), moist; moderate fine granular structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and many very fine roots; 1 percent cobbles, 5 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 22 cm thick)

Bw1--5 to 16 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 2 percent gravel; very slightly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bw2--16 to 78 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 12 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary.

Bw3--78 to 100 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 2 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary.

Bw4--100 to 124 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2), moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 10 percent cobbles, 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bw5--124 to 138 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3), moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 5 percent cobbles, 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear smooth boundary. (the combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 30 to 133 cm)

C--138 to 184 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; single grain; loose, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; 10 percent cobbles, 35 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 1 mile west of Ferron along Ferron Creek; located about 600 feet west and 400 feet north of the SE corner of sec. 8, T. 20 S., R. 7 E.; Ferron USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 5 minutes 21 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 9 minutes 8 seconds W., NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall; aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.3 to 12.2 degrees C. (47 to 54 degrees F)

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel and cobbles

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bw horizon :
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly sandy clay loam or very gravelly fine sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent above a depth of 100 cm; Bw horizons below this depth contain 15 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 26 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent; dominantly gravel with up to 15 percent cobbles; Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium derived from mixed sedimentary rocks, dominantly sandstone and shale
Landform: Flood plains, stream terraces, valley floors
Slopes: 1 to 5 percent
Elevation: 1,463 to 1,981 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 203 to 305 mm
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June
Frost-free period: 120 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Colorow, Haverdad, Pherson and Ravola series. Colorow soils do not have a cambic horizon and occur on slightly lower landscape positions. Haverdad soils are fine-loamy. Pherson soils have greater than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Haverdad and Pherson soils are intermingled with Castledale soils on stream terraces. Ravola soils are fine-silty and occur on stream terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, runoff is low, moderate permeability; saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or moderately high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated cropland, grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of cottonwood, Utah juniper, twoneedle pinyon, basin big sagebrush, fourwing saltbush, winterfat, galleta, Indian ricegrass and blue grama. Utah correlates this soil to Loamy Bottom (Basin Big Sagebrush) R034XY009UT ecological site.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah Desertic Basins; LRR D, MLRA 34B. The soils of this series are not extensive; about 4,800 acres in Emery County, Utah.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Emery County, Utah, Emery Area, Utah, 2011, Parts of Emery, Carbon, Grand, and Sevier Counties soil survey area. Named after the nearby town of Castle Dale.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 200 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (Bw2, Bw3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 16 cm.
Cambic horizon: The zone from 5 to 138 cm.
Other features: Fluventic feature, irregular decrease of organic carbon with increasing depth

Remarks:
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Buried A horizons that have similar characteristics to surface A horizons are common in these soils.

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy Eleventh Edition, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.