LOCATION ARAPIEN UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, carbonatic, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Arapien fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granules; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
A2--2 to 10 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; weak thick platy structure that parts to weak fine granules; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in fine soft accretions; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--10 to 13 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak thick platy structure that parts to weak fine granules; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in fine soft accretions; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
Bk2--13 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocks; hard, firm, sticky, plastic, common very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; very strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in nodules, flakes and veins; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bk3--30 to 38 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine pores; very strongly calcareous, carbonates are in fine nodules, veins, flakes and disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
Bk4--38 to 48 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; few medium and fine pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in flakes; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
2Ck--48 to 72 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, stratified with thin layers of gravelly loam and clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, sticky, slightly plastic; few fine pores; very strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in veins and flakes; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9)
TYPE LOCATION: Sanpete County, Utah; 3/4 mile east of the Axtell store and about 100 feet south of the road; 330 feet west and 100 feet south of the center of sec. 21, T.20S., R.1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Carbonate content averages more than 40 percent including the carbonates in the coarse fragments of less than 20 millimeters size, between 10 and 40 inches. The soils are moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. Salinity ranges from slight to strong. These soils are usually dry; they are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 70 to 85 days during the summer and are continually moist 60 to 75 days during the winter and early spring in 7 out of 10 years. Water table may occur at depths between 40 to 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 53 degrees F. The particle-size control section ranges from 20 to 35 percent clay with less than 35 percent rock fragments and more than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4.
The Bk and 2Ck horizons have a hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 6 to 8 dry, and 5 to 7 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. Textures are loam, clay loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or gravelly clay loam. Some 2Ck horizons have very gravelly sandy loam textures.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Boxelder (UT), and McCornick (UT) series. Boxelder soils are high in diatomaceous earth and have coarse blocky structure in the Bk horizons. McCornick soils have a carbonate-cemented hardpan at depths of 13 to 30 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Arapien soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping alluvial fans at elevations of 5,200 to 6,000 feet. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent. They formed in alluvium derived from limestone, sandstone and shale. The climate is semiarid. Mean annual temperatures range from 45 to 51 degrees F. Average annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches. Freeze-free period is 115 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Genola, Rapho, Sanpete, Sigurd, and Woodrow soils. Genola and Woodrow soils lack a calcic horizon and have less than 40 percent carbonates. Rapho soils have less than 18 percent clay and have 20 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. Sanpete and Sigurd soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well and moderately well drained. Runoff is slow to rapid and permeability is moderate or moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for range and for irrigated crops of alfalfa, small grain, pasture and corn. Principal native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, yellowbrush, white sage, shadscale, big sagebrush, rabbitbrush and snakeweed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah. MLRA 47 and 28A. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Millard County (Richfield Area), Utah, 1958.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 10 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone of calcium carbonate accumulation from 10 to 38 inches (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3 horizons).
Xeric feature - soil moisture regime is Aridic bordering Xeric.
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
These soils have been correlated to semidesert range sites in Utah.
The classification was changed from Xerollic Calciorthids to Xeric Haplocalcids in 9/94.