LOCATION BALDFIELD UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, mesic Ustertic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Baldfield clay--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; cracks 1 to 3 centimeters wide extend through the horizon; few coarse roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
C1--2 to 4 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; cracks 1 to 2 centimeters wide extend through the horizon; coarse roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
C2--4 to 15 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; cracks 1 to 2 centimeters wide extend through the horizon; few coarse and medium roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 33 inches thick)
C3--15 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; cracks 1 centimeters wide in the upper 10 inches of the horizon; few fine and medium roots; few fine and medium pores; lime or gypsum veins present; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah 2.5 mile north of Henrieville, about 2,640 feet south and 1,320 feet west of northeast corner of sec. 11, T. 37 S., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soils are dry in parts of the moisture control section for 75 to 90 days during the winter months and dry in all parts of the moisture control section greater than 50 percent of the time when the soil temperature at the 20 inch depth is more than 41 degrees F. Ustic aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 54 degrees F.
Mean summer temperature - 62 to 65 degrees F.
Particle size control section - averages 35 to 50 percent clay.
A horizon
Hue of 7.5YR to 5Y,
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist,
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, or moist
Effervescence: slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bw horizons (when present)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, or moist
Textures: silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay.
Effervescence: It is very slightly or slightly effervescent.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: The Bw horizon does not meet the criteria for a cambic horizon.
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4 dry, or moist
Effervescence: slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Electrical conductivity of saturation extract is less than 2 mmhos/cm to 8 mmhos/cm
Visible calcium carbonates are in some pedons along with a few to common gypsum veins.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bahl (WY),
Bodry (UT),
Limon (CO),
Petrie (WY), and
Shower (UT) series.
Bahl, Limon and Petrie soils are moist in the moisture control section 40 to 50 percent of the time cumulative when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 41 degrees F.
Bahl soil elevation ranges from 3500 to 5000 feet, and are in the 10 to 17 inch precipitation zone and over half of the precipitation falls during the months of April,
May and June.
The Baldfield series is competed with the Bahl series on the basis of precipitation patterns. Bahl series have a spring precipitation peak and Baldfield soils have a late summer and fall precipitation peak.
Bodry soils have a lithic contact at 40 to 60 inches.
Shower soil have endosaturation at 18 to 42 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: alluvium and residuum from shale
Landform: fan piedmonts, stream terraces, valley sides, and valley floors
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,700 feet
Slope: 0 to 8 percent
Mean annual temperature: 44 to 52 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 12 inches (distributed fairly evenly throughout the year with about 55 percent falling between July, August, September, and October are the wettest months while April, May, and June are the driest)
Frost-free period: 100 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Befar, Henrieville, Tropic, and Yarts soils. Henrieville and Yarts soils are coarse-loamy an are on higher parts of the fans. Tropic soils are fine-loamy and are on similar landscapes. Befar soils contain more than 8 mmhos of salt and are on similar positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow or medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Baldfield soils are used for rangeland, irrigated cropland and wildlife habitat. Potential vegetation is fourwing saltbush, winterfat, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail and basin big sage. Irrigated crops consist of alfalfa, small grains and corn silage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Baldfield soils are of small extent. MLRA 34B and 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garfield County (Panguitch Soil Survey Area), Utah, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 2 inches (A horizon)
Ustertic features - (1) cracks extending from the surface to about 25 inches that are 1 cm or more wide that are open from 175 to 240 days, cumulative in at least 3 years out of 10. (2) COLE of 0.05 in consecutive horizons that total at least 20 inches in thickness (A, C1, C2, C3 horizons). (3) More than 35 percent clay in all horizons.
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Ninth Edition, 2003