LOCATION ATEPIC UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, mesic, shallow Typic Calcixerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Atepic channery clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for sir dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) channery clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium platy structure that parts to moderate fine granular structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 25 percent shale fragments, mainly shale, 3 percent larger than 75 mm; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 15 cm thick)
A2--5 to 15 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) channery clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky and moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; few fine and medium pores; 25 percent shale fragments, smaller than 75 mm; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)
Bw--15 to 28 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) channery silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine and very fine pores; 25 percent shale fragments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)
Bk--28 to 43 cm; mixed, pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) 40 percent of horizon, light gray (5Y 7/2) 60 percent of horizon, channery silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) 40 percent of horizon, olive (5Y 5/3) 60 percent of horizon, moist; massive; very hard, firm, moderately sticky, and moderately plastic; few fine roots; 35 percent shale fragments; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and in fine nodules; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)
Cr--43 to 102 cm; pale olive (5Y 6/3) soft decomposing shale; olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist massive; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and medium roots; violently effervescent, carbonates are coated on shale fragments and in shale; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (50 to 100 cm thick)
R--102 to 112 cm; olive gray (5Y 5/2) hard shale; olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Sanpete Area, Utah; near head of Mellor Canyon in the west mountains, about 3,000 feet north and 400 feet west of the SE corner of section 2, T.18S., R.1E; USGS Hells Kitchen Canyon SE 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 39 degrees 16 minutes 29 seconds north and longitude 111 degrees 46 minutes 0 seconds west; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in winter and spring and continuously dry in all parts for significant periods in summer and fall; xeric soil moisture regime bordering aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.0 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to paralithic contact: 25 to 50 cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent: More than 40 percent, including the carbonates in the coarse fragments of less than 20 mm size, between a depth of 25 cm and the shale.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Average 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent shale channers and flagstones.
A horizon
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bw horizon (when present).
Hue: 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bk horizon
Hue : 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 4.
Texture: Averages silty clay loam or clay loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Atepic soils are on moderately steep and steep hillslopes and mountain slopes at elevations of 1,645 to 2,200 meters. Slopes are 8 to 50 percent. They formed in colluvium and residuum from shale. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual temperature ranges from 7.0 to 11.0 degrees C. The average annual precipitation ranges from 300 to 400 mm. The freeze free season is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Borvant, Fontreen, Lodar, Lizzant and Rapho soils. All of these soils except Rapho have mollic epipedons. Borvant soils have petrocalcic horizons. Lodar soils are 50 cm deep or less over a lithic contact. Lizzant, Fontreen, and Rapho soils are more than 50 cm deep to a lithic or paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high runoff; slow permeability; moderately low hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and to a limited extent for woodland. Principal vegetation is juniper, pinion, phlox, bitterbrush and bluebunch wheatgrass. In Utah this series is correlated with upland range sites.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah. MLRA 28A and 47. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete County, Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 18 cm (A1, A2 and part of the Bw horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone of calcium carbonate accumulation from 28 to 43 cm (Bk horizon).
Paralithic contact - weathered shale at 43 cm (Cr horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 25 to 43 cm (part of Bk horizon.
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998".