LOCATION LEANTO                  UT

Established Series
Rev. DAL/RLM/RLB
12/2022

LEANTO SERIES

The Leanto series consists of shallow, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in sandy eolian deposits. These soils are on structural benches and cuestas with slopes of 2 to 6 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 12 inches and mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Leanto fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 1 inch; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, very friable; many very fine and fine, few medium roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw1--1 to 8 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and common fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

Bw2--8 to 15 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky; many very fine, common fine and few medium roots; common fine and very fine, few medium pores; moderately calcareous (6 percent CaCO3), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)

R--15 inches; sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; about 3 miles southwest of LaSal Junction; 1,000 feet north and 20 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 12, T. 29 S., R. 22 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 51 to 55 degrees F.

Soil moisture: Typic aridic moisture regime.

Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches.

Depth to free carbonates ranges from - 0 to 9 inches.

Particle-size control section -

Clay content: averages: 12 to 18 percent

Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent pebbles.


A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR,
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or 4 moist.
Reaction: noncalcareous to moderately calcareous
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 4 percent.

Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR.
Reaction: noncalcareous to moderately calcareous in the upper part and moderately calcareous in the lower part.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
Other features: When the soils are calcareous to the surface, the thickness of the calcic layer is not thick enough to qualify for a calcic horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Epikom (AZ) and Lyeflat (OR) series. Epikom and Lyeflat soils have 5YR or 2.5YR hues and SAR less than 13 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leanto soils are on structural benches and cuestas at elevations of 5,000 to 6,800 feet. Slopes are 2 to 6 percent. The soils formed in sandy eolian deposits. The mean annual temperature is 48 to 52 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is 9 to 13 inches. The freeze-free period is 120 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing ThumbRock, Ignacio, Rizno, Schooner, Windwhistle, Begay and Mespun soils. The Begay and Mespun soils are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland, wildlife habitat and recreation. Potential native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, blackbrush, Mormon-tea and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah. The soils of this series are moderately extensive; their total acreage is about 15,000 acres. MLRA 35.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canyonlands Area, San Juan County, Utah, 1983. Named after Leanto Point, a benchland in the survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 1 inch (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 1 to 15 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Lithic contact - the point at 15 inches - (R horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.