LOCATION VANET UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Calcidic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Vanet gravelly loam--woodland (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist, crushed; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine pores; 35 percent angular gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--2 to 7 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) gravelly clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 3/6) moist, crushed; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 20 percent gravel; strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 11 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist, crushed; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium and coarse roots; 40 percent gravel; strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bk--11 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist, crushed; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common medium and fine and coarse roots (root mat); 35 percent gravel; very strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
Cr--14 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) weathered soft limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah; Eastside Road; SE 1/4, SE 1/4, sec. 36, T. 37 S., R. 4 1/2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth of soil material over soft weathered limestone or shale (paralithic contact) ranges from 10 to 20 inches. The depth to bedrock (lithic contact) ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments average 35 to 50 percent in the particle size control section. The mean annual soil temperature is about 44 to 47 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature is about 59 to 64 degrees F.
The A horizon is noncalcareous or slightly calcareous. The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. If the value is less than 3.6 moist and the chroma is less than 4 moist, the thickness of the horizon is less than 1/3 the thickness of the solum.
The Bt and Bw horizons have value of 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 4 to 6. It is gravelly loam to gravelly, very gravelly and cobbly clay loam.
The Bk horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 2 to 8. It is strongly or very strongly calcareous.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the family. Series in similar families are the Pahreah and Podo series. Pahreah soils have a mollic epipedon and a mean summer soil temperature, at a depth of 20 inches, of less than 59 degrees F. Podo soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 inches or less.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vanet soils are on moderately steep to steep colluvial sideslopes below mesa tops and above drainageways. Elevations range from 7,800 to 8,500 feet. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum from shale and limestone. Slope gradients are 20 to 40 percent. The average annual precipitation is 16 to 22 inches and the freeze-free period ranges from 70 to 80 days. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. and the average summer temperature is 59 to 64 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Paunsaugunt and Syrett soils. Paunsaugunt soils are less than 20 inches in depth to a lithic contact and have a mollic epipedon. Syrett soils have a mollic epipedon 7 to 13 inches thick and do not have a cambic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber, rangeland and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, limber pine, manzanita, snowberry, creeping juniper, Oregon grape and deer brush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central part of Utah. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garfield County, (Paunsaugunt Soil Survey Area) Utah, 1969. The typical pedon is in the Panguitch Area soil survey.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Gray-Wooded soils. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 2 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - from 2 to 7 inches (Bt horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 11 to 14 inches Bk horizon)
This series was originally classified as Typic Ustochrepts. Because of the clay films and clay increase described in the 2 to 7 inch layer, it was decided in 2004 to recognize this layer as an argillic horizon. This needs to be confirmed in the field. The Loamy-skeletal particle-size family is in question at this time; in the typical pedon, the weighted average rock fragment content of the PSCS is 31% (Loamy). It is decided to leave the family class as Loamy-skeletal, assuming this family more accurately reflects this soil as is has been mapped.