LOCATION JERICHO                 UT+NV

Established Series
Rev. DLT-MJD-JVC-JBF
12/2011

JERICHO SERIES

The Jericho series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived mainly from igneous rocks. Jericho soils are on fan remnants and ballenas. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Jericho gravelly fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

A--0 to 13 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 23 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick)

Bk--23 to 33 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; secondary calcium carbonate segregated throughout matrix; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick; combined thickness of Bk or Bkq horizons is 15 cm greater)

Bkq--33 to 48 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine pores; 40 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; secondary calcium carbonate and silica segregated throughout matrix; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 cm thick; combined thickness of Bk or Bkq horizons is 15 cm greater)

Bqkm--48 to 76 cm; duripan; very hard and brittle; an indurated laminar cap about 1 mm thick stops roots; material below cap breaks down with difficulty to a very gravelly sandy loam; secondary calcium carbonate and silica segregated throughout matrix; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 46 cm thick)

C--76 to 107 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) very gravelly loamy sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; 45 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 97 cm thick)

Bqkmb--107 cm; duripan; very hard and brittle; an indurated laminar cap about 1 mm thick stops roots; material below cap breaks down with difficulty to a very gravelly sandy loam; secondary calcium carbonate and silica segregated throughout matrix; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Juab County, Utah; about 6 miles north of Jericho; 2,300 feet east and 1,800 feet south of the northwest corner of section 9, T. 12 S., R. 3 W.; latitude 39 degrees 47 minutes 48 seconds N and longitude 112 degrees 11 minutes 14 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and early spring; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 17 to 19 degrees C.
Depth to calcic horizon: 5 to 25 cm.
Depth to duripan: 36 to 50 cm.
Other features: Some pedons have buried duripans below 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is mixed.

A horizon
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 20 percent.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.

Bw horizon (when present)
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly coarse sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 45 percent.
Consistence: Very friable or friable, moist.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 5.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.

Bk horizon and Bkq horizon (when present)
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly coarse sandy loam.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent.
Structure: Weak or moderate, very fine to medium subangular blocky or massive.
Consistence: Soft to hard, dry.
Secondary calcium carbonates: Occur throughout the matrix or as coats on rock fragments.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 40 percent.
Salinity (EC): 0 to 2 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 13.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 30 percent.

Bqkm horizon
Cementation class: Indurated within the upper 15 cm and strongly cemented below 15 cm.

C horizon
Texture: Gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loamy sand, or extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blackcan, Gravden, Gunnel, Karpp, Lien, and Rekima series.

Blackcan soils lack C horizons. Gunnel soils have duripans that are indurated for a thickness of more than 15 cm. Karpp soils have 18 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Lien soils have duripans at depths of 15 to 36 cm. Rekima soils have cambic horizons, do not have calcic horizons, and have lithic contacts between 43 to 50 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jericho soils are on fan remnants and ballenas. These soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from igneous rocks, but includes some sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. Areas with slopes over 15 percent are the result of faulting subsequent to the formation of the duripan. Elevations range from 1,405 to 2,320 meters. The climate is semiarid continental. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 360 mm. The mean annual temperature is 7 to 11 degrees C and the mean summer temperature is 16 to 18 degrees C. The frost-free period is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Truesdale, Sierocliff, Deerlodge, Medburn, Wales, and Doyce soils. Medburn, Wales, and Doyce soils are very deep. Sierocliff and Deerlodge are moderately deep to petrocalcic horizons and duripans, respectively. Truesdale soils are coarse-loamy, moderately deep to duripans, and have cambic horizons and calcic horizons.

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

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USE AND VEGETATION: Jericho soils are used for rangeland. The potential vegetation is black sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Utah and eastern Nevada. These soils are extensive with about 135,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRAs 25, 28A, and 28B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Juab County (Fairfield-Nephi Area), Utah, 1980.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm. (A and part of Bw horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone 23 to 48 cm. (Bk and Bkq horizons)
Duripan - The zone from 48 to 76 cm with an indurated laminar cap. (Bqkm horizon)
Particle size control section - The zone from 25 to 48 cm (Bkq horizon and part of the Bk horizon).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.