LOCATION CATAHOULA          UT
Established Series
Rev: RSJ/RLB
06/2006

CATAHOULA SERIES


The Catahoula series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and slope alluvium derived from cretaceous age Straight Cliffs Formation sandstones. Catahoula soils are on hillslopes and landslide deposits on escarpments. Slopes range from 15 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Ustic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Catahoula very bouldery sandy loam, on a northeast facing, 23 percent slope at an elevation of 5960 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered by 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones and 15 percent boulders.

A--0 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very bouldery sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky parting to fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones and 10 percent boulders; slightly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

C1--5 to 26 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very bouldery loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine subangular structure parting to massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine interstitial and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones and 15 percent boulders; slightly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)

C2--26 to 49 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very bouldery loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones and 20 percent boulders; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 35 inches thick)

C3--49 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very bouldery loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones and 25 percent boulders; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Kane County, Utah; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; about 1 1/2 miles southwest of Fiftymile Spring; Sooner Bench USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 15 minutes 07 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 1 minute 38 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - The soil moisture regime is Ustic aridic.

Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 54 degrees F

Particle-size control section (weighted average):

Clay content: 18 to 27 percent

Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent angular and subangular gravel, cobble, stone and boulder sized Cretaceous aged Straight Cliffs formation sandstone; very and extremely stony and bouldery modifiers dominate this series concept.

A horizon:
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: extremely bouldery loam, very bouldery loam, very stony loam, Clay content: averages 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent angular and subangular gravel, cobble, stone and boulder sized Cretaceous aged Straight Cliffs formation sandstone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chilton (NM), Happle (CO), Nihill (WY), Notlic (UT) and Polychrome (UT) series. All of the above series lack a particle size control section dominated by very and extremely stony and bouldery soil textures.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: colluvium and slope alluvium derived from Straight Cliffs sandstone
Landform: hillslopes and landslides on escarpments
Slopes: 15 to 60 percent
Elevation: 5,200 to 6,500 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 52 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 9 to 12 inches
Frost-free period: 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Daklos and Dient series. The Daklos soils are 10 to 20 inches over bedrock. The Dient soils are typic aridic.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, medium to very high runoff, moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are for wildlife habitat, fuelwood production, and limited livestock grazing. Potential native vegetation is Utah juniper, two-needle pinyon, green mormontea, roundleaf buffaloberry, Indian ricegrass, and galleta. These soils have been correlated to Semidesert Stony Loam (Utah Juniper-Pinyon) 035XY46UT ecological site at the type location in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central, Utah, MLRA 35. This series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kane County, Utah, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument soil survey area, 2004. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (parts of the C1 and C2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 5 inches. (A horizons)

The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.

Taxonomic Version: Ninth Edition 2003


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.