LOCATION WALES UT+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Xeric Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wales loam - rangeland (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very thin platy structure parting to moderate very fine granular; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary.
Ap2--8 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few medium, fine and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary.
C1--23 to 43 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few medium, fine and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary.
C2--43 to 53 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few medium and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary.
Ab--53 to 66 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few medium, common fine and very fine random tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear smooth boundary.
C3--66 to 81 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few medium, common fine and very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
C4--81 to 104 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
C5--104 to 135 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
C6--135 to 145 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and common very fine interstitial pores; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary.
C7--145 to 152 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine and common very fine random tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 0.75 miles north-northeast of Newcastle, about 2,170 feet south and 1,480 feet east of the northwest corner of section 9, T. 36 S., R. 15 W; USGS Newcastle 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 41 minutes 8 seconds N and longitude 113 degrees 32 minutes 38 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring and for brief periods in late summer due to convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.0 to 12 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 17 to 19 degrees C.
Organic matter content: Decreases irregularly with depth or remains above .35 percent to a depth of 125 cm.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Sand content: More than 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 6.
Texture: Loam or silt loam; thin layers of sand to silty clay loam are present in some pedons.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Sand content: More than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wales soils are on gently to strongly sloping alluvial fans, alluvial flats, valley floors, drainageways,and flood plains at elevations of 1,430 to 2,110 meters. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. They formed in mixed alluvium from sandstone, shale, limestone, and igneous rocks. The climate is dry subhumid. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 7 to 11 degrees C. Average annual precipitation ranges from 200 to 300 mm. Frost free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Amtoft, Atepic, Borvant, Fontreen, and Lodar soils. Amtoft, Atepic and Lodar soils are less than 50 cm deep over a lithic or paralithic contact. Borvant soils are less than 50 cm deep over a petrocalcic horizon. Fontreen soils have mollic epipedons and have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in their control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as livestock grazing. The principal plants are big sagebrush, western wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, squirreltail grass, yellowbrush and rabbitbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah, and west central Nevada; MLRA 47, 28A; these soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete Soil Survey Area, Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: In April 1995 the type location was moved from Sanpete County to Iron County to better represent the series concept.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 18 cm (Ap1 and part of the Ap2 horizons).
Xeric feature - Soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C2, Ab, C3 and part of the C1 and C4 horizons).