LOCATION CACHE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Aquisalids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cache silty clay, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Az--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; mixed weak very fine subangular blocky and weak fine granular structure; soft, firm, sticky, plastic; strongly calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Cz1--4 to 25 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; common medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; strongly calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); distinct smooth boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
Cz2--25 to 39 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; common medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; strongly calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Cz3--39 to 72 inches; pale yellow (5Y 8/2) silty clay, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; structureless, massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; strongly calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Cache County, Utah; about 1/2 mile north and 2 miles west of Amalga Church at a point 800 feet east and 200 feet north of SW corner of SW1/4 sec. 14, T.13N., R.1W.; Newton USGS quad; latitude 41 degrees 52 minutes 55 seconds N. and longitude 111 degrees 57 minutes 33 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Texture of the 10- to 40-inch control section averages silty clay or clay. The soluble salt content ranges from 2 to 5 percent above 30 inches, and decreases with depth below 30 inches in some pedons. Exchangeable sodium percentage ranges from 20 to 90 percent. Reaction ranges from mildly to strongly alkaline. Depth to water table fluctuates, but is typically between 10 to 40 inches; some areas are ponded at times. Mottles are at some depth between 20 and 40 inches.
The average annual soil temperature is more than 47 degrees F.
The Az horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry, and 4 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4.
The Cz horizon have hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry, and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Libbings series. Libbings soils have horizons of gypsum accumulation and are 20 to 40 inches deep over shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cache soils occur on alluvial fans, low lying nearly level stream flood plains, and low lake plains at elevations of 4,070 to 6,500 feet. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in fine textured sediments, mainly from shale and limestone. The climate is dry subhumid to semiarid. The mean annual temperature is 45 degrees to 49 degrees F., and mean summer air temperature is 65 degrees to 70 degrees F. The freeze-free period is 110 to 160 days. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 18 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Abcal, Benjamin, Billings, Kirkham and Trenton series. Benjamin and Abcal soils lack salic horizons. Kirkham and Benjamin soils also have mollic epipedons. Trenton soils have natric horizons, lack salic horizons, and have mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly to poorly drained. Runoff is slow to very slow, or ponded; permeability is very slow to slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soil is used to a small extent for grazing. Native vegetation is a sparse cover of salicornia, saltgrass, pickleweed, and greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Utah, western slopes of Colorado, and Nevada. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache Valley Area, Utah, 1913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Salic horizon - from 0 to 39 inches (Az, Cz1 and Cz2 horizons).
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998". Prior to this review of the series the last time it was looked at was in 1971. A number of properties related to soil wetness need to be established with additional field data. Salic horizons need to be dry in some or all parts of the moisture control section in normal years. The NASIS data lists a water table from May to October which may not allow for a period of dryness. In the database the range of water table depths is 0 to 36 inches and the drainage class is poor with no ponding. The current series range has a water table from 10 to 40 inches, includes poor and somewhat poorly drained classes, and includes ponding.