LOCATION RAFAEL UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Typic Halaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Rafael silty clay loam. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ag--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; 41 percent sand; 34 percent silt; 25 percent clay; weak thin platy structure; firm, slightly hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many medium and fine roots; few medium and fine pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 11 inches thick)
ABg1--3 to 11 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; 35 percent sand; 42 percent silt; 23 percent clay; weak medium platy structure; firm, hard, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; many medium and few fine roots; common medium and few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
ABg2--11 to 17 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; 39 percent sand; 38 percent silt; 23 percent clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; many medium and fine roots; common medium and fine pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the ABg horizons is 0 to 14 inches)
Byg--17 to 33 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist; 17 percent sand; 45 percent silt; 38 percent clay; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm, very hard, moderately sticky, very plastic; many medium and fine roots; few medium and common fine pores; common medium prominent gray (N 6/0), moist, iron depletions and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; many dendritic gypsum masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (16 to 30 inches thick)
Cg1--33 to 43 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; 38 percent sand; 39 percent silt; 23 percent clay; massive; firm, hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few medium and fine roots; few medium and common fine pores; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist, masses of oxidized iron and common medium prominent gray (N 6/0), moist, iron depletions; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual wavy boundary.
Cg2--43 to 70 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist; 32 percent sand; 41 percent silt; 26 percent clay; massive; firm, hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few medium and fine roots; common medium and fine pores; common medium prominent gray (N 6/0), moist, iron depletions; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; south of Emery, 1,300 feet west and 600 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 29, T. 22 S., R. 6 E.; Walker Flat USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 52 minutes 56 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 16154 minutes 35517 seconds W. NAD 83
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; typic aquic moisture regime.
Depth to redox concentrations: Rafael soils have distinct to prominent mottles above 20 inches
Depth to redox concentrations: Distinct to prominent above 20 inches
. Salinity: These soils are moderately saline to strongly saline
. Calcium carbonate equivalent:content ranges from 10 to 30 percent and is highest near the surface.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Sand content: Less than 15 percent of sand is coarser than very fine sand
Rock fragment content: 0 percent
Colors of the particle-size control section are similar to those of the A horizon.
The
A horizon:
Hues: of 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 30 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 12 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 2 to 12
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4
ABg horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, loam
Clay content: 19 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 1 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 4 percent
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 18 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 13 to 35
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.8
Bg,Byg horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam, clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 40 percent
Carbonate clay content: 1 to 7 percent
Fragment content, total: 0 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
Gypsum content: 1 to 5 percent
Electrical conductivity: 2 to 18 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 2 to 35
Reaction: pH 7.9 to 8.8
Cg horizons
Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 4 dry; 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 32 percent
Carbonate clay content: 1 to 6 percent
Fragment size and content: 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent
Electrical conductivity: 0 to 16 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio: 2 to 20
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.8
Colors of the 10-to 40-inch in the particle-size control section are similar to those of the A horizon. The particle-size control section contains 20 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand and averages silty clay loam or clay loam in texture.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on flood plains, alluvial flats, drainageways and in narrow alluvial valleys. Dominant slopes are 1 to 3 percent. Parent material is alluvium washed mostly from marine shale, and to some extent, fine-grained calcareous sandstone. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The climate is semiarid. The mean annual temperature is 47 45 to 54 degrees F., and the freeze-free period ranges from 110 to 160 days. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 11 inches with peak periods in July to October and evenly distributed throughout the remainder of the year.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are in the Billings, Hunting, and Ravola soils. Billings soils do not have redoximorphic features lack mottles above 20 inches. Both Hunting and Ravola soils contain 18 to 27 percent clay, do not have cambic horizons and are on floodplains. The Hunting soils lack mottles, do not have redoximorphic features above 20 inches but have mottles at depths between 20 and 40 inches. Ravola soils lack mottles, do not have redoximorphic features throughout the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; low runoff; moderately slow or slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for pasture. Present vegetation is rushes, sedges and wiregrass. Potential vegetation is tufted hair grass, red top and clover.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Utah; MLRA 34B. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Green River Soil Conservation District Survey, Utah, 1940.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 79 inches (200 cm).
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 11 inches. (A horizons)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 3 to 33 inches (AB and B horizons)
Redoximorphic concentrations: In the zone from 0 to 43 inches (Ag, ABg, Byg and Cg1 horizons)
Redoximorphic depletions: In the zone from 17 to 70 inches (Byg and Cg horizons)
Endosaturation: the zone of saturation at 0 to 178 inches (all horizons in some seaons)
Other features: Gypsum accumulations in the zone from 17 to 33 inches (Byg horizon)
Remarks:
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is supported by Utah State University lab samples U59258-U59263, profile no. 855. Hutchings et.al., 1967, Chemical and Physical Properties of the Soils of Carbon-Emery Area, Utah.
Gypsic horizon: The zone from 17 to 33 inches. (y horizons)
Gleyed horizon: the zone from 11 to 70 inches. (g horizons)
This is a redefinition of Rafael series. The site location was changed in a previous revision dated 04/1999. and a change in site location.
The classification was changed from Typic Endoaquepts to Typic Halaquepts, 3/2008; the SAR of the Byg horizon is greater than 13.
All pH determinations were made of soil paste.
Taxonomic version: Tenth edition, 2006.