LOCATION BLACKETT UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Blackett coarse sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; slightly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2--2 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many medium fine and few coarse roots; few medium and fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) coarse sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; weakly cemented, very friable, few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; very strongly calcareous; carbonates coat surfaces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 32 inches thick)
Bk2--40 to 56 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; carbonates coat surfaces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C--56 to 70 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common, medium and fine tubular pores; slightly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; 1 1/3 miles north, 4 1/2 miles west of Manderfield; northwest 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of section 12, T.28S., R.8 W.; latitude 38 degrees 22 minutes 6.48 seconds N. and longitude 112 degrees 54 minutes 28.50 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Moist in winter and spring and for 10 to 20 days in summer due to convection storms. Aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mean summer temperature: 63 to 66 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 8 to 14 inches
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3.5 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Bk horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: coarse sandy loam to loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent.
C horizon:
Texture: coarse sandy loam to loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent; less calcium carbonate than the overlying Bk horizon
COMPETING SERIES:
Blickenstaff (CA) soils have cambic horizons, greater than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section, and the depth to the calcic horizon is 30 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blackett soils are on outwash fans and alluvial fans at elevations of 5,500 to 6,600 feet. Slope ranges from 3 to 20 percent. The soils formed in alluvium from granite and intermediate igneous rocks. Mean annual temperature is 45 degrees to 48 degrees F., mean summer temperature is 61 degrees to 64 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. Frost-free period is 100 to 108 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Snake Hollow and Blue Star soils. Snake Hollow soils lack calcic horizons and Blue Star soils are non-calcareous in the upper horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland for sheep, cattle, and big game. Present vegetation is pinyon pine, juniper, mountain big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Utah. This soil is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beaver County (Beaver-Cove Fort Area), Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon: from the surface to 9 inches. (A horizons)
Calcic horizon: from 9 to 56 inches. (Bk horizons)
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data.