LOCATION CHEEBE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, carbonatic, mesic Xeric Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cheebe silty clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches)
A2--2 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
A3--4 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to strong fine granular; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine pores; strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
BAk--8 to 15 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few fine pores; very strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated and in fine masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Btnk1--15 to 20 inches; light gray (10YR 7/4) silty clay; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine pores; very strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated and in veins and masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Btnk2--20 to 31 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) silty clay; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) moist; moderate, medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; common thin clay films on peds; very strongly calcareous; carbonates are in masses and veins generally inside of peds; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Bky--31 to 44 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) silty clay; light brownish gray (2.5YR 6/2) moist; common, medium distinct dark brown (10YR 4/3) mottles; weak medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few gypsum masses on peds; very strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated and in fine masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
C1--44 to 55 inches; white (10YR 8/1) silty clay loam; light gray (5Y 7/1) moist; strong medium platy structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; very strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated and in shells and diatoms; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (11 to 20 inches thick)
C2--55 to 66 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) clay; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; strong coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; strongly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated and coated on peds; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Utah County, Utah, about 2-1/2 miles east of Fairfield about 1/4 mile north. About 1,300 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 26, T. 6 S., R. 2 W.
RANGE OF CHARACTERISTICS: The ochric epipedon is 6 to 13 inches thick. The solum thickness is 30 to 45 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 53 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature is 72 to 75 degrees F. The soils are dry 50 to 60 percent of the time where the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It is strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y and 5Y, value of 6 through 8 dry and 5 or 6 moist and chroma of 1 or 2 dry and 1 through 3 moist. It is typically silty clay or clay but some are silty clay loam with 35 to 55 percent clay. It is 40 to 50 percent calcium carbonates.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y and 5Y, value of 7 or 8 dry and 6 or 7 moist and chromas of 1 or 2. It is mainly silty clay but ranges from silty clay loam to clay and has 40 to 50 percent calcium carbonates. COMPETING SERIES: There presently are no competing series in the family. Series in similar families are the Bullion, Harding, Mellor and Manassa series. Bullion, Harding, Mellor and Manassa all have less than 40 percent calcium carbonates in the series control section. Bullion soils also have 5YR or redder. Mellor has less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Manassa lacks a natric horizon.
GEORGRPHIC SETTING: Cheebe soils are on the level or nearly level plains. They are formed in fine textured lake sediments that are derived mainly of limestone and calcareous shales and some sandstone and quartzite. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,835 to 4,850 feet. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cool dry winters. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches and mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F. The freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bramwell, Genola, Linoyer, Woodrow, Thiokol, Goldrun and Magna soils. Bramwell, Genola, Woodrow, Thiokol, and Goldrun all have less than 35 percent clay and less than 40 percent carbonates in the series control section. None of these soils have a natric horizon. Bramwell has a water table between a depth of 30 to 60 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; ponded runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland. Potential vegetation is mainly greasewood, shadscale, squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Utah County in the central part of Cedar Valley. The soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES PROPOSED: Fairfield-Nephi Soil Survey Area, Utah, 1978. The proposed name was coined.