LOCATION THERMOSPRINGS UTTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Thermosprings loam, 1 percent slope--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; many medium, fine and very fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary.
Btkn1--4 to 13 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and few very fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent distinct carbonate coats on all faces of peds; 3 percent irregular carbonate masses in matrix; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary.
Btkn2--13 to 31 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 40 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and lining pores; 3 percent distinct carbonate coats on all faces of peds; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary.
C--31 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; about 8.3 miles southwest of the Thermo Hot Springs; about 550 feet west and 160 north of the southeast corner of sec. 31, T. 30 S., R. 13 W; USGS Burns Knoll 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 38 degrees 8 minutes 56.76 seconds north latitude and 113 degrees 20 minutes 41.28 seconds west longitude, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in some part in winter and spring and for 10 to 20 days cumulative in summer due to convection storms. These soils are dry for 50 to 60 percent of the time the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 57 degrees F.
Other features: Buried A and Bt horizons occur in some pedons
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 2 percent, mainly gravel
Reaction: Moderately alkaline in areas of reclaimed irrigated cropland; strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline in undisturbed rangeland
A horizon:
Value: 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: Silt loam, clay loam, loamy coarse sand or a very fine sandy loam
Carbonates: Non-effervescent through strongly effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Btkn horizons and Btn horizons (when present):
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam or silt loam
Carbonates: Slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent. Btn horizons are non-effervescent in some pedons.
C horizon:
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent, mainly gravel
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Azabache (T NM),
Fajada (T NM),
Hadden (T UT),
Highrock (T CA),
Homko (T CA),
Leebench (UT),
Leeko (UT),
Muff (WY),
Pizene (NV),
Recapture (UT),
Rusty (NV),
Swasey (UT),
Terlco (NV), and
Uffens (UT) series.
Azabache soils contain sodium sulfate crystals and have horizons with more than 35 percent rock fragments between 15 and 40 inches. Fajada, Hadden, and Muff soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Highrock soils lack prismatic structure in the natric horizons and have a SAR in excess of 40. Homko soils have horizons with secondary gypsum below the natric horizon. Leebench soils have more than 15 percent rock fragments between the base of the natric horizon and 40 inches. Leeko soils have horizons with more than 35 percent rock fragments between 40 and 60 inches. Pizene soils are 12 to 18 inches to free carbonates and have a C horizon with sandy loam or fine sandy loam textures and lacks silty lacustrine deposits in the lower profile. Recapture soils lack a calic horizon and have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR. Rusty soils lack a calcic horizon and have C horizons within 40 inches that are stratified lacustrine sand to silt loam. Swasey soils lack a calcic horizon and are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Terlco soils have horizons with more than 35 percent rock fragments. Uffens soils do not have horizons with identifiable secondary carbonates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Thermosprings soils are on alluvial flats, lake terraces, and alluvial plains at elevations of 4,600 to 5,150 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived dominantly from mixed igneous and sedimentary rocks. In some areas, recent wind- or water-deposited sediments overlie the sodium affected material. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 55 degrees F. and the average summer air temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches. The freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Manselo, Sevy, Taylorsflat, the competing Uvada, and Woodrow soils. Manselo, Sevy and Taylorsflat soils do not have a natric horizon and usually occur at slightly higher elevations on the landscape. Uvada soils occur at slightly lower elevations and/or in concave positions. Woodrow soils do not have a natric horizon, are fine-silty in the particle-size control section, and have an irregular decrease in organic matter content with depth. Woodrow soils occur in flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or very low to low runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland. Small areas are irrigated and cropped to alfalfa. The native vegetation is black greasewood, shadscale, and bottlebrush squirreltail. In Utah, these soils are correlated to the Alkali Flat (Black Greasewood) R028AY004UT ecological site.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Beaver County, Utah (Beaver County, Utah, Western Part, UT626), 2006.
REMARKS:
The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches. (A horizon)
Natric horizon: The zone of clay and sodium accumulation from a depth of about. 4 to 31 inches (Btkn horizon)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 4 to 31 inches. (Btkn1 and Btkn2 horizons)