LOCATION CASTINO UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic Pachic Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Castino extremely cobbly loam--rangeland (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; common fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--3 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BA--8 to 14 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly clay loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; few thin clay films in pores; 20 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very cobbly clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and medium roots; few fine and coarse interstitial pores; thin clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 18 inches thick)
Bt2--31 to 38 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4 and 7.5YR 4/2) extremely cobbly clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4 and 7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common thin clay films on all faces of peds; white coatings on rock fragments that are noneffervescent; 60 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones and 5 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
R--38 inches; fractured bedrock (intermediate volcanic agglomerate).
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah; West Center Creek; NE 1/4 sec. 24, T. 34 S., R. 4 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 16 to 35 inches thick and is more than 1/3 the thickness of the solum over bedrock. The depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The rock fragments in the particle size control section average 35 to 75 percent. The soil has a mean annual soil temperature of about 38 to 44 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is about 50 to 54 degrees F.
The A and B/A horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3.
The Bt (argillic) horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is gravelly to extremely gravelly, cobbly to extremely cobbly clay loam and clay with about 35 to 45 percent clay. Fine distinct manganese concretions in the Bt horizon range from none to common.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hamtah, Percoun, Urwil, and Winnemucca series. Hamtah, Urwil, and Winnemucca soils have bedrock deeper than 40 inches. Percoun soils have Bt horizons with less than 20 percent sand and are drier.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Castino soils are on moderately steep to steep hills and mountains at elevations of 8,300 to 10,000 feet. Some Castino soils are on gently rolling basalt lava flows. Slope gradients are 5 to 70 percent. These soils formed in colluvium and residuum on intermediate volcanic rocks and basalt. The average annual precipitation is 16 to 22 inches and the freeze-free period ranges from 50 to 65 days. The mean annual temperature is 36 to 42 degrees F. and the average summer temperature is 50 to 54 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Behanin,
Echard,
Hoodle,
Tica and
Tatiyee soils. Behanin soils have less than 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon and are deeper then 40 inches to bedrock. Echard soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Hoodle soils are over 40 inches in depth to bedrock and have less than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizons. Tica soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock. Tatiyee soils are more than 40 inches to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Native vegetation is big sagebrush, bitterbrush, curlleaf mountainmahogony, needleandthread grass, bluebunch wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass and squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Utah. This series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Paunsaugunt Area, Utah, 1969.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Brunizems.