LOCATION BIBLESPRINGS UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Biblesprings sandy loam - on a 2 percent south facing slopes--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated).The soil surface is covered with 25 percent gravel.
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and many very fine roots; common fine and many very fine vesicular pores; moderately calcareous (8 percent carbonates), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately calcareous (8 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated and in few fine soft accumulations; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)
Bkq1--21 to 38 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately calcareous (13 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated and in many medium and large irregular cemented masses; discontinuously moderately cemented by lime and silica; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 22 inches thick)
Bkq2--38 to 51 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel; 10 percent of horizon is lenses of gravelly sandy loam; moderately calcareous (4 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated and in common medium irregular cemented masses; discontinuously strongly cemented by lime and silica; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
Bkq3--51 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine and many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; soil matrix is noncalcareous, few lime coatings on the bottom of the fragments; discontinuously weakly cemented by silica; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 4.5 miles north of northeast of Zane; 200 feet south and 2,400 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 32 S., R. 15 W.; Latitude is 37 degrees 58 minutes 58 seconds N. and longitude is 113 degrees 13 minutes 13 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Dry for 50 to 60 percent of the time the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. They are usually dry in some part of the moisture control section for 55 to 70 days during the 120 days following June 21. Aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime.
Soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Effervescence: slightly to strongly effervescent throughout
Depth to carbonates and discontinuous silica cemented material: 12 to 29 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: averages less than 18 percent clay
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Salinity: Nonsaline to very slightly saline.
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: Loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 12 percent gravel
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Salinity: Nonsaline to moderately saline.
Bkq horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry and 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: Loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent gravel
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
Salinity: Nonsaline to strongly saline
Consistence: Slightly hard to very hard, when dry and firm and brittle when moist
The horizon is discontinuously cemented and does not contain durinodes
C horizon (when present):
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: sandy clay loam, sandy loam or loamy sand
Rock Fragments: 0 to 34 percent gravel
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ardep (CA),
Ilton (NV),
Kunzler (UT), and
Triplen (NV) soils.
Ardep (T CA) soils formed in lacustrine sediments or beach deposits and have hue of 2.5Y or 5Y in the B and C horizons.
Ilton (NV) soils are moderately deep to sandstone.
Kunzler (UT) soils have durinodes in the Bkq horizons.
Triplen (NV) soils have a lithologic discontinuity and are formed in alluvium from tuff with a component of loess high in volcanic ash.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Biblesprings soils are on relict stream terraces, beach plains, and fan remnants at elevations of 5,000 to 5,600 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from basic and intermediate igneous and sedimentary rocks. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antelope Springs, Bannion, Beryl, Escalante, Garbo and Manselo series. Antelope Springs and Garbo soils have argillic horizons and usually occur at slightly lower elevations on the landscape. Bannion soils have an indurated duripan between a depth of 20 to 40 inches, are loamy-skeletal in the particle-size control section and occur on fan terraces upslope from the Biblesprings soils. Beryl soils do not have a calcic horizon. Manselo soils are fine-loamy in the particle-size control section. Escalante soils do not have silica cementation in the subsoil. Beryl, Manselo, and Escalante soils are intermixed on the landscape with the Biblesprings soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and irrigated cropland. The native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Douglas rabbitbrush, winterfat, bottlebrush squirreltail, and globemallow. Principal crops grown include alfalfa hay and barley.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County (Iron-Washington Area), Utah, 1997. The series is named after the historic name of the town of Beryl Junction, Utah.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 7 inches. (A horizon and part of the Bw horizon.)
Calcic horizon: A zone of carbonate accumulation from a depth of about 21 to 51 inches. (Bkq horizons)
Durinodic feature: The soil has a subhorizon that is greater than 15 cm thick within 1 m of the surface that is brittle and has a firm consistency when moist. (Bkq horizons)
Xeric feature: the moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric.
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006". The cation exchange activity class is an estimate based on NASIS data.