LOCATION CENTERFIELD UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal,
carbonatic, mesic Xeric Torrifluvents
TYPIFYING PEDON: Centerfield silty clay loam, idle cropland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; the surface 1/2 inch has weak medium platy structure, below is moderate thick platy structure that parts to moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A12--3 to 8 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; few medium pores; strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
C1--8 to 16 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and few medium pores; strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
C2--16 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and common fine pores; 20 percent coarse fragments; strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated and in sand sized fragments of limestone; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
IIC3--20 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine pores; 70 percent coarse fragments; very strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated and in sand-sized fragments of limestone; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
IIC4--25 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grained; loose; 65 percent coarse fragments; very strongly calcareous, lime is disseminated and in sand sized particles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Sanpete County, Utah; 1/4 mile west of Centerfield, 2,085 feet north, 1,770 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 29, T.19S., R.1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the very gravelly loam sand ranges from 20 to 29 inches. Coarse fragment content between depth of 10 and 20 inches ranges from none to 20 percent and textures are silty clay loam, clay loam or gravelly clay loam. Below a depth of 25 inches, textures are very gravelly sand or loamy sand with 40 to 80 percent coarse fragment. Calcium carbonates equivalent between depths of 10 and 40 inches averages 40 to 60 percent including the lime in the coarse fragments of less than 20 millimeters size. Organic matter content decreases irregularly with depth or remains above 0.35 percent to a depth of 50 inches. The soils are usually dry but are continually moist in some part of the 4- to 12-inch depth for more than 1/4 of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. In 7 out of 10 Years they are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 70 to 85 days during the summer months and are continually moist 60 to 75 days during the 120 days following the winter solstice. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 49 degrees F. The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak to moderate platy, fine granular of moderate subangular blocky structure. This horizon is mildly to moderately alkaline. The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is moderately to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Mayfield, Newcastle, Quaker, Rapho, Sigurd, and Stillman series. All of these soils lack contrasting texture changes in the control section. Newcastle and Sigurd soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments throughout the control section. Newcastle soils have less than 40 percent carbonates. Stillman soils have sandy texture and more than 35 percent coarse fragments throughout the control section and have 2.5YR or 5YR hue.
SETTING: Centerfield soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping alluvial fans and flood plains at elevations of 5,200 to 6,000 feet. The formed in alluvium from limestone and shale. The climate is semiarid. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 degrees to 52 degrees F. Average annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 12 inches. Frost-free period ranges from 110 to 130 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Woodrow, Genola, and Dyreng soils. These soils lack coarse fragments in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for irrigated cropland and range. The native vegetation is big sagebrush, shadscale, Indian ricegrass and three-awn grass.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah. This series is inextensive. SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete County (Richfield Area), Utah, 1948.
REMARKS: The soils were formerly classified as Alluvial soils.