LOCATION WIGGLER UT+NM COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid, shallow Typic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wiggler very cobbly loam - on a 35 percent north facing slope in woodland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) very cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; common fine and medium, and few coarse pores; 20 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C1--7 to 12 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic, common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; few fine, medium and coarse pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
C2--12 to 19 inches; light gray ( 10YR 7/1) clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium and coarse roots; few fine and medium pores; and 10 percent hard shale fragment; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary.
Cr--19 inches; weathered shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah; 3 1/2 miles northwest of Hatch; 900 feet north and 2250 feet east of the SW Corner of Section 14, T. 36 S., R. 6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: ustic. The soils are dry in parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 75 days during the winter months, but are moist for 50 to 55 percent of the time when the soil temperature at 20 inches depth is more than 41 degrees F.
Mean annual soil temperature: 40 to 45 degrees F.
Mean summer temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 8 to 20 inches.
Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 18 to 32 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 35 percent shale fragments throughout the soil; up to 10 percent additional shale fragments will slake in water.
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: moderately calcareous to strongly calcareous.
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: mainly loam and clay loam but include channery clay loam and channery silty clay loam
Rock fragment content: 0 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: moderately calcareous to strongly calcareous
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abac, Cabba and Cohagen series. All of these series occur in climatic setting that receives three-fourths of the precipitation between April and September with May and June being the wettest months. In addition the Abac soils have hue of 5YR or redder.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum and colluvium from shale.
Landform: mountain slopes and rolling hills.
Slopes: 15 to 70 percent.
Elevation: 7,800 to 8,200 feet
Mean annual temperature: 38 to 43 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 18 inches.
The precipitation is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year with 55 to 65 falling between April and September. Wettest months: July, August and September
Driest months: December and January.
Frost-free period: 60 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Guben, Podo and Ruko series. Guben soils are more than 60 inches deep and have a calcic horizon. Podo soils are 14 to 20 inches deep over hard sandstone. Ruko soils are in a clayey family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Wiggler soils are used for woodland, rangeland and wildlife habitat. Potential native vegetation is pinyon, Utah Juniper, ponderosa pine, Nevada bluegrass and Muttongrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Wiggler soils are of small extent. They are mapped in the Canaan Peak area of Garfield County and Carbon County. LRR D, MLRA 34 and 35
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Panguitch Soil Survey Area, Garfield County, Utah 1983. The name is that of a nearby stream.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 7 inches. (A horizon)
Paralithic contact: Shale bedrock at 19 inches. (Cr horizon)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 19 inches. (Part of the C1 horizon and the C2 horizon)
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: classified according to the Eighth Edition, 1998.