LOCATION ARDLON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ardlon very cobbly fine sandy loam, on a south facing, 3 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 6,060 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
The surface is covered by 30 percent rounded cobbles.
A--0 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) very cobbly fine sandy loam; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine, common medium interstitial and tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary.
ABk--11 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; matrix is noneffervescent with few discontinuous less than 1 mm thick coatings of calcium carbonate on the lower surfaces of rock fragments; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of A horizons are 20 to 23 inches)
Bk1--21 to 29 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3); moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine, few medium and coarse roots, many very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; matrix is noneffervescent with common discontinuous less than 1 mm thick coatings of calcium carbonate on the lower surfaces of rock fragments; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bk2--29 to 40 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely cobbly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, common fine interstitial and tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobble, 15 percent stone; matrix is noneffervescent with common 1 mm thick coatings of calcium carbonate on the lower surfaces of rock fragments; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk3--40 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) extremely cobbly sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine, few fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 20 percent stones; matrix is noneffervescent with common less than 1 mm thick coatings of calcium carbonate on the lower surfaces of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0). (combined thickness of Bk2 and Bk3 horizons are 28 to 31 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 0.7 miles east of Whiterocks; located about 400 feet west and 2,000 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 19, T. 1 N., R. 1 E., USBM; Whiterocks, Utah USGS quad; lat. 40 degrees 28 minutes 16 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 55 minutes 02 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly through the year with a slight increase in late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 11 to 17 inches
Depth to endosaturation: 40 to 60 inches during the months of March to July
Particle-size control section: 5 to 10 percent clay and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments (rounded gravel, cobbles and stones of sedimentary and metamorphic lithology).
A and ABk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture: very cobbly fine sandy loam, very cobbly sandy loam, or extremely cobbly sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: upper part - very cobbly sandy loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, very stony fine sandy loam, or extremely stony sandy loam with 5 to 15 percent clay; lower part - very cobbly loamy sand, extremely cobbly loamy sand, extremely cobbly sand, extremely stony loamy sand, or extremely stony coarse sand with 0 to 5 percent clay.
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent
Calcium carbonate: the matrix is noneffervescent but has patchy or discontinuous coatings on lower surfaces of rock fragments.
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium derived from sedimentary and quartzite rocks
Landform: flood plains and drainageways
Slopes: 1 to 3 percent
Elevation: 5,600 to 6,400 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 Hazmaz, Heapo, Hominy, Robido, and Uver series.
Hazmaz, Heapo, Hominy, and Uver soils do not have mollic epipedons.
Robido soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: moderately well drained, very low runoff, moderately rapid permeability. These soils are rarely to occasionally flooded for brief periods during the months of March to July.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are rangeland and irrigated pasture. The potential native plant vegetation consists of ill scented sumac, basin big sagebrush, needleandthread, western wheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Indian ricegrass. This soil is correlated to Semidry Stream Terrace (Basin Big Sagebrush- Squawbush) - 034XY014UT range site at the type location in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Utah. LRR D, MLRA 34. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah. 1998. 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. (???)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 21 inches. (A, ABk)
Redoximorphic features: The presence of redox concentrations in the zone from 11 to 29 inches. (???)
Endosaturation: The presence saturated zone at 4 to 6 feet during the months of March to July.
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.
The surface texture modifier was determined following the guidelines outlined in the Utah document, "Procedures for Distributing Rock Fragments on the Surface Layer into the Upper 6 inches of Soil and Subsequent Naming of Map Units, April 1979."
ADDITIONAL DATA: These soils have been correlated to riparian sites in Utah. The particle-size classification was based on the weighted average of the 10 to 40 inch control section. The cation exchange activity class was inferred from laboratory data in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.