LOCATION UPLER              UT 
Established Series
Rev. KDS/CGM/RLB
09/2007

UPLER SERIES


The Upler series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from sedimentary rocks. Upler soils are on terrace remnants and hillslopes. Slopes range from 1 to 10 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calciustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Upler very gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by about 34 percent gravel and 12 percent cobbles.

A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 36 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bw--3 to 9 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and few very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; 9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bk1--9 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and occur as coatings on all sides of rocks; 18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (14 to 26 inches thick)

Bk2--25 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; loose, loose, non-sticky and non-plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and occur as coatings on all sides of rocks; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 28 inches thick)

Bk3--35 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) extremely gravelly loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; massive; loose, loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and occur as coatings on all sides of rocks; 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. (15 to 25 inches thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Kane County, Utah; about 4 miles southwest of Cannonville; located on Indian Hollow Bench in the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of sec. 10, T. 38 S., R. 3 W.; Cannonville, Utah USGS quadrangle; lat. 37 degrees 31 minutes 11.47 seconds N. and long. 112 degrees 5 minutes 41.40 seconds W., Datum: NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that is evenly distributed throughout the year with a slight increase in late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on Ustic.

Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F

Depth to calcic horizon - 5 to 11 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):

Clay content: 12 to 18 percent

Rock fragments averages: 35 to 65 percent gravel or cobbles

Surface rock fragments: 12 to 65 percent gravel and cobbles

A horizon:
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Rock fragments: 15 to 50 percent gravel or cobbles

Bw horizon:
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Rock fragments: 18 to 40 percent gravel or cobbles

Bk1 horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bk2, Bk3 horizon (if present):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam or loamy sand
Rock fragments averages: 35 to 65 percent gravel or cobbles with individual horizons containing less than 20 percent rock fragments
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buckndoe (AZ), Chicosa (CO), Katzine (AZ), Saraton (CO), Tinaja (NM), Twobutte (KS), and Yatne (UT) series.
Buckndoe soils have petrocalcic horizon, are in the ustic aridic soil moisture regime and have mean annual soil temperature that range from 54 to 56 degrees F.
Chicosa soils have a soil moisture control section that is moist intermittently April through August and dry October through February.
Katzine soils have 5YR hues.
Saraton soils contains marl, has Bk horizon, and averages 18 to 35 percent clay.
Tinaja soils average 18 to 30 percent clay, and lack Bw horizon.
Twobutte soils are moderately deep to hard caliche bedrock and occur on Central High Tablelands (MLRA 72).
Yatne soils have 18 to 27 percent clay.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium and colluvium derived from sedimentary rocks
Landform: terrace/pediment remnants, hillslopes
Slopes: 2 to 15 percent
Elevation: 5800 to 6800 feet
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 51 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 16 inches
Frost-free period: 100 to 120 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Nomrah series. Nomrah soils have an argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very low to very high runoff, moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are mainly used for rangeland, woodland,
wildlife habitat and recreation. Potential native vegetation
is Utah juniper, pinyon pine, Gambel's oak, Utah serviceberry, mountain big sagebrush, Indian rice grass and mutton grass. This soil has been correlated to Upland Stony Loam (Pinyon-Utah juniper)(X035XX321UT) range site at the type location in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Utah. Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument soil survey. This series is of limited extent; MLRA35.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kane County, Utah, 2004. Grand Staircase National Monument.

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

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bk1 through Bk3 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 9 to 60 inches (Bk1, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 3 to 9 inches (Bw horizon).

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.