LOCATION ABES UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic Lithic Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Abes silty clay loam, woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; strong thick platy structure that parts to strong thin platy; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and fine roots; few fine pores; few bleached sand grains and gray coatings; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common medium and fine roots; many fine pores; broken peds show some evidence of clay stripping; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bt--8 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common medium and fine roots; many very fine pores; few thin clay films on peds; common fine calcium carbonate flakes; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bk--15 to 19 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 40 percent gravel; moderately calcareous, many white calcium carbonate flakes and accretions; neutral (pH 7.3); clear irregular boundary (2 to 6 inches thick)
R--19 to 28 inches; fractured limestone bedrock, lime coatings on bottom of rock fragments.
TYPE LOCATION: Summit County, Utah; end of Cedar Hollow Road; SW1/4 SW1/4 section 34, T.2S., R.7E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Some pedons have a thin organic layer at the surface. The mollic epipedon ranges from 6 to 12 inches thick. Thin discontinuous E horizons occur in some pedons. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 36 degrees to 42 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 52 degrees to 58 degrees F. at a depth of 20 inches. Depth to the fractured limestone bedrock ranges from 15 to 20 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silty clay loam or silt loam and has up to 15 percent gravel in some pedons.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is silty clay, clay or silty clay loam, and contains up to 15 percent gravel in some pedons.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is mainly very gravelly silt loam or very cobbly silt loam but ranges to very cobbly silt loam or very gravelly or very cobbly silty clay. Gravel and cobble content ranges from 40 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are Blizzard and Mosquet series. Blizzard and Mosquet soils have a xeric moisture regime that borders aridic and have mean annual soil temperature warmer than 42 degrees.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Abes soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes range from 15 to 65 percent, but are generally 35 to 55 percent. Elevations range from 8,500 to 9,500 feet. These soils formed in material weathered from limestone. The climate is humid. The average annual precipitation ranges from 25 to 35 inches. Most of the precipitation comes as snow. Mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F., and the frost-free period ranges from 20 to 50 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Agassiz, Beardall, Everman and Mult soils. Agassiz soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section and have mean summer soil temperatures more than 59 degrees F. Beardall, Everman and Mult soils lack a lithic contact within depths of 20 inches. Beardall soils lack mollic epipedons and have argillic horizons with less than 35 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for woodland, watershed and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is dominantly Douglas-fir, white fir, and Engelmann spruce, with some subalpine fir at high elevations.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Utah. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Summit County, Utah, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from the surface to a depth of 8 inches. (A1, A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - from 8 to 15 inches. (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact - bedrock at 19 inches. (R layer)