LOCATION CEDAR MOUNTAIN UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Sodic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cedar Mountain gravelly clay loam, on a southeast facing 5 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 5,500 feet (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil is covered by 40 percent gravel, 10 percent channers and 2 percent cobbles, angular, of shale origin.
A--0 to 3 inches; weak red (2.5YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very firm, moderately sticky, very plastic; few medium and fine roots; few medium and fine vesicular pores; 2 percent cobbles, 10 percent channers, 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonate finely disseminated in matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bkn1--3 to 7 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/3) gravelly silty clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky, very plastic; few medium and fine roots; few medium and fine pores; 1 percent cobbles, 5 percent channers, 5 percent parachanners, 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, common carbonate concretions on bottoms of rock fragments and common fine threadlike carbonate masses on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick.)
Bkn2--7 to 14 inches; weak red (2.5YR 4/2), gravelly silt loam, weak red (2.5YR 4/2) moist; massive; few fine roots; 3 percent channers, 15 percent paragravel, 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, common carbonate concretions on bottoms of rock fragments and common fine threadlike carbonate masses on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (0 to 7 inches thick.)
Cr--14 inches; reddish gray (10R 5/1) slightly weathered shale, dark reddish gray (10R 4/1) moist.
TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 7 miles east of Cleveland, about 1.5 miles northwest of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry; located about 650 feet south of the center of sec. 17, T. 17 S., R. 11 E.; Cow Flats USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 20 minutes 37.00 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 42 minutes 42.00 seconds W., NAD 27; UTM 524920 meters E, 4355156 meters N, zone 12.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: 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 moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 2 or 3 inches
Depth to sodic feature: 2 or 3 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
Fine sand and coarser content:
Rock fragment content: 5 to 35 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry and moist
Bkn horizons:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, gravelly silt loam, gravelly clay loam, gravelly silty clay loam, gravelly silty clay
Clay content: less than 35 percent.
Exchangeable sodium ranges from 15 to 50 percent.
Some pedons have a BCkn horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. The similar Bisoodi series is not sodic. The similar Pacon (T), Petaca, Pinon, Shalako and Wayneco series have a lithic contact at 20 inches or less.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are formed in slope alluvium from sedimentary rocks over residuum from shale on shale hills and scarps. Slopes are 3 to 45 percent. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F. The freeze-free period ranges from 100 to 150 days. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches with peak periods in July to October and evenly distributed throughout the remainder of the year.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gerst (UT) and Lazear (CO) series. These soils do not have calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, rapid runoff, moderately slow or slow permeability, nonflooded.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for range. Present vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta grass, gardner saltbush and shadscale, and widely spaced Utah juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Utah and western Colorado. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 34B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon-Emery Area, Emery County, Utah, 1968.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section - The zone from 0 to 24 inches (from the surface to 10 inches or 25 cm below the paralithic contact.
Calcic horizon - the zone from 3 to 14 inches (Bkn horizons)
Sodic feature - SAR is greater than 13 below the A horizon (Bkn horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with weathered shale at 14 inches (Cr horizon)
All pH values given are of soil paste.
Cedar Mountain soils were formerly classified as Lithic Camborthids. Classification changed in 9/94.
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is supported by lab sample numbers U611738 through U611740, Utah State University soil testing lab (dated 1967); source: Carbon-Emery soil survey area, Utah, SCS, 1970.