LOCATION ABRACON                 UT+CO

Established Series
Rev.RHF/AP/SSP
12/2022

ABRACON SERIES

The Abracon series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium and colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, limestoneand quartzite. Abracon soils are on fan remnants, hills, toeslopes, or mesas. Slopes range from 1 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 45 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Abracon loam, on an east southeast facing, linear, 3 percent slope in Wyoming big sagebrush/needleandthread grass rangeland at an elevation of 5,650 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)


A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse vesicular pores; slightly effervescent; 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)

Bw--4 to 10 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; 7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (8.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)

Bk1--10 to 21 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; 16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and in common irregular fine and medium soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.

Bk2--21 to 35 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; strongly effervescent; 47 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and in common irregular medium and coarse soft masses and nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.

Bk3--35 to 51 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; 17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated and in common irregular medium soft masses and nodules; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk is 26 to 41 inches)

C--51 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and medium, few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; 17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 3.2 miles southeast of LaPoint; 1,300 feet north, 100 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 15 , T.5 S., R.19 E., SLBM.; Vernal NW, Utah USGS quadrangle; 40 degrees, 22 minutes, 44 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 44 minutes, 48 seconds west longitude. NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly throughout the year with a slight increase in the late summer and fall. Aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 13 to 18 percent silicate clay; 18 to 35 percent total clay; 0 to 15 percent rounded gravel and cobbles; 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
Depth to calcic horizon: 7 to 24 inches
Surface layers with mollic colors are not thick enough to qualify as a mollic epipedon.
Calcareous throughout pedon.
The surface is covered with 10 percent gravel.


A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture: L, GR-SL
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: SL, L
Rock fragments: 0 to 15
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: SL, L, CL
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: L, SL, FSL
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the ThumbRock, Chugcity, Cobbra, Harvey, Milok, Sazi, and the Xenmack series. Competitors prior to the Eighth Edition, 1998 Keys are the Chupadera and Mivida series.

ThumbRock, Chugcity, Chupadera, Sazi, and Xenmack: moderately deep to a lithic or paralithic contact.
Cobbra: more than 35 percent rock fragments below 40 inches.
Harvey: have soil moisture control sections that are affected by peak periods of precipitation in the spring and summer.
Milok and Mivida: less than 18 percent total clay in the particle size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium and colluvium derived from sandstone, shale, limestone and quartzite
Landform: fan remnants, hills, toeslopes, or mesas.
Slopes: 1 to 40 percent.
Elevation: 5,300 to 6,700 feet.
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 49 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 12 inches.
Frost-free period: 110 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Begay, Clapper, Honlu, Solirec, and the competing Cobbra soils.
Begay soils have less than 18 percent total clay in the particle size control section.
Clapper soils have a loamy-skeletal particle size control section.
Honlu soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section.
Solirec soils have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low to high runoff, moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for livestock grazing, irrigated pasture, and irrigated cropland. Potential vegetation consists of Wyoming big sagebrush, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, galleta, and needleandthread. This soil has been correlated to the Semidesert Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush) - (034XY212UT) range site at the type location in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. LRR D, MLRA 34. This series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah county (Dinosaur National Monument Area), Utah. 1997. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - from 10 to 51 inches (Bkl, Bk2, Bk3 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial reference sample from pedon S93 UT-047-001 in Uintah County, Utah. Laboratory data shows a high percentage of clay sized carbonates causing it to have a coarse-loamy PSCS. The cation exchange activity class was determined from laboratory data.

Taxonomy version: Eighth Edition, 1998.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.