LOCATION BERON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Beron gravelly sandy loam, 2 to 8 percent slopes, rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted). The soil surface is covered with 30 percent gravel.
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--3 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
2Bkq--10 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; 20 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
2Bkqm--18 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gravelly loamy sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; extremely hard, extemely firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; indurated by silica and carbonates; continuously capped by very thin silica laminae; few fine and very fine roots, matted on silica laminar cap; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 19 inches thick)
2C1--24 to 40 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grain; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium and fine pores; 50 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
2C2--40 to 60 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common medium and fine pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah, about 3.1 miles east of Nevada on the Iron-Beaver county line, about 2,640 feet south and 100 feet west of the northeast corner of section 4, T. 31 S., R. 19 W; Atchison Creek Quadrangle; 38 degrees, 8 minutes and 28 seconds North latitude, 113 degrees, 58 minutes, and 16 seconds West longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric; dry in all parts more than half the cumulative days per year when the the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches from the soil surface is above 41 degrees F.; and are moist in some or all parts for less than 90 consecutive days when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 46 degrees F.
Soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to the base of the Bt horizon - 8 to 10 inches
Depth to indurated duripan - 10 to 20 inches
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches
Particle size control section clay content - 20 to 35 percent in the upper part and 0 to 15 percent in the lower part
Particle size control section rock fragment content - 10 to 35 percent igneous gravel
A horizon
Value, dry - 5 or 6
Value, moist - 3 or 4
Chroma - 3 or 4
Texture - gravelly sandy loam or gravelly loam
Bt horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value, dry - 5 or 6
Value, moist - 4
Chroma - 3 or 4
Clay content - 27 to 35 percent
Rock fragment - 10 to 25 percent gravel
Texture - gravelly clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, or
clay loam
Reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
2Bkq horizon
Value, dry - 7
Value moist - 6
Chroma - 3 or 4
Clay content - 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragment - 15 to 45 percent
Texture - gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly loamy sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 20 to 25 percent
Reaction - slightly to strongly alkaline
2C horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value, dry - 5 to 7
Value moist - 4 to 6
Chroma - 3 to 6
Clay content - 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragment - 25 to 50 percent
Texture - gravelly loamy coarse sand, or very gravelly
loamy coarse sand, very gravelly loamy sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 10 to 20 percent
Reaction - slightly to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beron soils are on dissected relict stream terraces and fan terraces. These soils formed in alluvium over lacustrine sediments derived dominantly from igneous rocks. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations are 5,700 to 6,700 feet. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches, and mean annual air temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the average freeze free season is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deerlodge and Plegomir soils. Deerlodge soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a duripan. Plegomir soils lack an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for rangeland. Important plants are Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass and black sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Iron County, Utah; MLRA 28A. This soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County, Utah; Iron-Washington Soil Survey Area; 1997; The named is coined with a combination of the Beaver and Iron County names.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone of clay accumulation from 3 to 10 inches. (Bt horizon)
Duripan - the indurated silica horizon from 18 to 24 inches. (2Bkqm horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 3 to 18 inches
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998". The cation exchange activity class is an estimate based on NASIS data.