LOCATION GREEN RIVER UT+CO NM

Established Series
Rev. RLM/RJL/SJJ
06/2015

GREEN RIVER SERIES

The Green River series consists of very deep, moderately well or somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. These soils are on flood plains, flood plain steps, levees and terraces and have slopes of 0 to 4 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. (8.9 degrees C.), and the average annual precipitation is about 7 inches (18 cm).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Oxyaquic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Green River loam--cultivated. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 11 inches (0 to 28 cm); brown (10YR 5/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and few medium roots; few fine pores; slightly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 16 inches (8 to 41 cm) thick)

C1--11 to 15 inches (28 to 38 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine faint brown (10YR 5/3) iron depletions; slightly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches (10 to 33 cm) thick)

C2--15 to 19 inches (38 to 48 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; slightly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm) thick)

C3--19 to 25 inches (48 to 64 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; slightly effervescent (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches (0 to 15 cm) thick)

C4--25 to 38 inches (64 to 97 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; common massive; soft, very friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; fine and medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; slightly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 20 inches (33 to 51 cm) thick)

C5--38 to 45 inches (97 to 114 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; slightly effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches (0 to 18 cm) thick)

C6--45 to 60 inches (114 to 152 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose; few fine roots; slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 1.75 miles northeast of Green River; 2,600 feet west and 1,600 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 10, T. 21 S., R. 16 E.; Blue Castle Butte USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 0 minutes 13 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 8 minutes 45 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, oxyaquic subclass.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 56 degrees F (8.3 to 13.3 degrees C).
Depth to endosaturation: 20 to 60 inches (51 to 152 cm)
Depth to redox concentrations (3 chroma or greater): 0 to 30 inches (0 to 76 cm)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 40 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 16 mmhos/cm.

Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent clay
Sand content: 15 to 85 percent sand coarser than very fine sand
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent

A horizon: Combined color value of 5 dry and 3 moist are less than 4 inches thick
Hue: has 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Textures: loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy very fine sand.
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Textures: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, silt loam, loam, loamy very fine sand, loamy sand, and loamy fine sand with thin strata of sand to clay loam present in some pedons
Reaction: slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Rock fragments: some pedons have strata with up to 40 percent gravel or small cobbles below the 40 inch depth. Up to 1 percent cobbles are allowed within a few inches of the bottom of the particle-size control section.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Soils in similar families include the Job, McGrew and Sanborn series. Job soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section and an aridic moisture regime bordering on xeric. McGrew and Sanborn soils have an ustic moisture regime with aquic conditions.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on river flood plains, flood plain steps, levees and low river terraces that are subject to rare to occasional flooding. The Green River soils formed in alluvium derived from sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Slopes are 0 to 4 percent. Elevation ranges from 3,800 to 6,600 feet (1,158 to 2,012 meters). The climate is arid or semiarid. Mean annual temperature is 44 to 54 degrees F (6.7 to 12.2 degrees C). The freeze-free period ranges from 90 to 175 days. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 5 to 12 inches (13 to 30 cm) with peak periods in July to October and evenly distributed throughout the remainder of the year.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abcal, Anco, Beebe, Juva, Poganeab and Ravola soils. Abcal soils have more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Anco soils have 27 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Beebe soils are loamy fine sand, and do not have masses of oxidized iron. Juva and Ravola soils do not have masses of oxidized iron.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well or somewhat poorly drained; very slow and low runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability; moderately high or high Ksat.

USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated land produces alfalfa, corn, grain, pasture and vegetable crops. Potential vegetation is redtop, skunkbush sumac, cottonwood trees, willows, inland saltgrass and alkali sacaton.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Utah, Colorado, northwest New Mexico and Wyoming. MLRA 34, 35, 37, 28A. The series is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, (Ashley Valley Area), Utah, 1920.

REMARKS: The classification was changed in 1992 from Aquic Ustifluvents to Oxyaquic Torrifluvents.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 79 inches (0 to 201 cm).
Ochric epipedon: the zone from the surface of the soil to 11 inches (28 cm) (Ap horizon).
Oxyaquic features: high chroma masses of oxidized iron and saturation within 60 inches (152 cm) of the surface, for 20 or more consecutive days or 30 or more cumulative days.
Fluventic feature: irregular decrease in organic carbon from 10 to 50 inches (25 to 127 cm).
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (25 to 102 cm).

The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is supported by laboratory data from Utah State University, 1967, Chemical and Physical Properties of Soils in the Carbon-Emery Area, Utah, pedon no. 857, sample nos. U59277-59283.

Taxonomic Version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.