LOCATION WHITESAGE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Whitesage gravelly loam on a northeast facing 25 percent slope under grasses and shrubs at about 7,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; very slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles on the surface; 5 percent gravel within the horizon; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, few fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; very slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 14 inches thick)
Bk1--5 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated as few fine irregular shaped soft masses; 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--10 to 14 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated as few fine irregular shaped soft masses; 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary.
Bk3--14 to 19 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; many very fine, few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine irregular shaped soft masses and thin coatings on undersides of rock fragments; 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk4--19 to 30 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; common very fine, few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine irregular shaped soft masses, and thin coatings on rock fragments; 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk5--30 to 40 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine, few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine irregular shaped soft masses and thin coatings on rock fragments; 10 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk horizons are 26 to 50 inches)
C--40 to 60 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine, few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; 10 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 1.5 miles northwest of Jones Hole Springs; 2,500 feet west and 1,800 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 34, T.2S., R.25E., SLBM; Jones Hole USGS Quad; lat. 40 degrees, 36 minutes, 01 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees, 5 minutes, 48 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is influenced by precipitation that falls evenly throughout the year with slight increase in the summer and fall. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 40 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to the calcic horizon: 5 to 24 inches
Surface horizons with mollic colors are not thick enough to qualify as a mollic epipedon
These soils are calcareous throughout
Particle size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, very gravelly loam
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent
Reaction: Moderately or strongly alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: Moderately or strongly alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly loam, loam, gravelly fine sandy loam
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: Moderately or strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Texture: loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent
Reaction: Moderately or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Madbeaver (MT), Redrock (T CO) and Rootel (MT) series.
Madbeaver soils are somewhat poorly drained, does not have a Bw horizon and has a lithologic discontinuity.
Redrock soils have greater than 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Rootel soils are moderately deep to hard bedrock.
Madbeaver and Rootel soils have peak periods of precipitation in the spring.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium, colluvium and residuum derived from sandstone, shale, limestone and quartzite
Landform: fan remnants and structural benches
Slopes: 3 to 25 percent
Elevation: 6,500 to 7,800 feet
Mean annual temperature: 38 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 16 inches
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June
Frost-free period: 85 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abracon, Cortyzack, Diagulch, and Honlu soils. Abracon and Honlu soils have drier moisture control sections. In addition, Honlu soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. Diagulch and Cortyzack soils have mollic epipedons and are on plateau summits. In addition, Cortyzack soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential vegetation consists of mountain big sagebrush, needleandthread, western wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, and bluegrass. This soil has been correlated to the Upland Loam (Mountain Big Sagebrush) - 047CY310UT range site at the type location in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and central Utah. LRR D and E, MLRA 34B and 47. The series is of small extent. The name is from a nearby geographic location.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah, 1998.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk2 through Bk5 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk2 through Bk5 horizons).
The cation exchange activity class was inferred from laboratory data in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.
The fine-loamy particle size classification is a tentative placement. Further investigation of these landforms and sediments would be necessary to understand the relative percentages of silicate and carbonate sized clays for a definitive placement.
The classification was changed from Haplocalcidic Ustochrepts to frigid Aridic Calciustepts 12/98.
Last updated by the state: 8/99.
Taxonomic version: Tenth Edition, 2006.