LOCATION JESH UTTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Jesh silt loam, on a east facing, concave to concave, 6 percent slope in mountain big sagebrush at an elevation of 5,560 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and very fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, few fine roots; many very fine, few fine tubular and interstitial pores; few 5 to 30 mm wide cracks extending to 30 inches; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 17 inches thick)
Bt1--12 to 19 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; many discontinuous prominent clay films on ped faces; common vertical oriented dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic stains 5 to 20 mm wide; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--19 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many discontinuous prominent clay films on ped faces; common vertical oriented dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic stains 5 to 20 mm wide; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (total thickness of Bt horizons 9 to 36 inches thick)
Btk1--30 to 37 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium and fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common discontinuous distinct clay films on ped faces; few vertical oriented dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) organic stains 5 to 10 mm wide; slightly effervescent, (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are segregated in few fine and medium irregular shaped soft masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 30 inches thick)
Btk2--37 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and very fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common discontinuous dinstinct clay films on ped faces; slightly effervescent, (6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are segregated in few fine and medium irregular shaped soft masses; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Salt Lake County, Utah; about 1.5 miles west of Camp Williams; located about 400 feet south and 2,200 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 33, T. 4 S., R. 1 W.; Jordan Narrows USGS quad; lat. 40 degrees 26 minutes 01.02 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 57 minutes 18.74 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: Xeric moisture regime. Soil moisture control section is dry 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice.
Soil temperature regime: frigid
Mean annual soil temperature: 43 to 47 degrees F.
Surface rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent subangular andesite fragments; dominantly gravel with minor cobbles
Particle-size control section: 40 to 60 percent clay
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 15 to 40 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 10 to 20 inches, may include the upper part of the argillic horizon
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, dominantly gravel with minor cobbles
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silty clay or clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, dominantly gravel with minor cobbles
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
Btk horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silty clay or silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, dominantly gravel with minor cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Booth (OR), Campcreek (OR), Carryback (OR), Crowcamp (OR), Lacrol T (ID), Tippett T (OR), or Zumwalt T (OR) series.
Booth and Carryback soils are moderately deep to bedrock.
Campcreek soils have 2Bt horizons, 35 to 45 percent gravel in the surface horizon, and has a xeric bordering on aridic moisture regime.
Crowcamp soils have an aridic moisture regime, a mollic horizon that is 20 to 30 inches, and are somewhat poorly drained.
Lacrol soils have a perched water table at 10 to 20 inches in depth.
Tippett and Zumwalt soils have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches in depth.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jesh soils.
Parent material: alluvium derived from andesite.
Landform: concave positions near summits of volcanic influenced mountain slopes.
Slopes: 3 to 8 percent
Elevation: 5,200 to 6,800 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 41 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 22 inches.
Wettest months: October to May.
Driest months: June to September.
Frost-free period: 70 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Tickville, Melling, and Beefhollow series.
Tickville soils are moderately deep to bedrock and are under oak.
Melling soils are shallow and are on backslopes.
Beefhollow soils have less clay in the pscs, are under oak and are on back slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, high runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wildlife habitat and rangeland. Some potential native plants are bluebunch wheatgrass, mountain big sagebrush, and Nevada bluegrass. In Utah, the Jesh series has been correlated with Mountain Loam (Mountain Big Sagebrush) - 047AY432UT, ecological site.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Utah. LRR D, MLRA 28A. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES PROPOSED: Salt Lake county, Utah. 1999. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon epipedon: The zone from 0 to 12 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 12 to 60 inches or more. (Bt1, Bt2, Btk1, and Btk2 horizons)
Pale feature: absolute clay increase of 25 percent between the A horizon (25 percent clay) and the Bt1 horizon (50 percent clay).
Vertic features: 5 to 30 mm thick cracks extending to greater than 30 cm in depth. Polygonal shaped cracking on surface with gilgai topography. Lab sample results of linear extensibility are pending.
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Eighth Edition 1998.