LOCATION ABBOTT UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, mesic Vertic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Abbott silty clay--pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) silty clay, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; many fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; violently effervescent; moderately saline; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bg--8 to 22 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) silty clay, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; many fine roots; common fine and fine pores; few fine distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately saline; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
BCg1--22 to 32 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) clay, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; strongly saline; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 18 inches thick)
BCg2--32 to 40 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, strongly saline, moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Cg1--40 to 54 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common fine pores; common fine distinct olive (5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; strongly saline; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
Cg2--54 to 61 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; few faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately saline; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Millard County, Utah; about 0.5 mile east of old Topaz chicken ranch; approximately 160 feet west and 75 feet south of the northeast corner of section 23, T. 16 S., R. 8 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 54 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 35 to 55 percent.
Vertic features - Cracks are 0.25 to about 0.5 inches wide to a depth of 20 inches or deeper when the soil is dry.
Linear extensibility (LE) - 6 to 9 cm.
Other features - Organic matter content decreases irregularly with depth or remains above a level of 0.35 percent to a depth of 50 inches.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Redoximorphic features: Either chroma of 1 or redox concentrations, or both, above 20 inches.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Bg and BCg horizons
Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent.
Effervescence: Strongly effervescent or violently effervescent.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Cg horizons
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Silty clay loam or silt loam; some pedons have horizons of sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loamy very fine sand, or sand.
Salinity (EC): 4 to 32 mmhos/cm.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Abbott soils are on flood plains, lake plains, and deltas. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from mixed sources. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches, the mean annual air temperature is 46 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Cache soil. Cache soils have salic horizons and do not have cambic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; negligible to medium surface runoff; slow permeability (moderately low or moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between the soil surface and 1.5 feet (very shallow and shallow free water occurrence classes) between March and October. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. Drained phases are recognized.
USE AND VEGETATION: Abbott soils are in native grass used both for hay and pasture. The vegetation is wiregrass and sedges with inland saltgrass and black greasewood on saline areas. Where drained, these soils are used for growing alfalfa and small grain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta Area, Utah, 1919.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 8 to 40 inches (Bg, BCg1, and BCg2 horizons).
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features between the soil surface and 20 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the A and Bg horizons).
Vertic subgroup feature - The zone from the soil surface to 40 inches with linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or more; additional support for the concept is based on the cracks noted in the series concept.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (BCg1 and BCg2 horizons and part of the Bg horizon).
The revision of December 2006 updated the taxonomic class from Vertic Fluvaquents based on the recognition of a cambic horizon in the horizons having alteration due to aquic conditions and no evidence of fine stratification.