LOCATION CHEETA                  UT

Established Series
Rev. CSW/JWB
03/2011

CHEETA SERIES

The Cheeta series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium and colluvium over residuum derived from limestone and sandstone. Cheeta soils are on canyons, cuestas, mesas and mountain slopes. Slopes range from 30 to 80 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 27 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 9.1 degrees C.

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Cheeta extremely channery fine sandy loam, on a east-southeast facing, convex, 60 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 1,414 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on May 13, 1993 the soil was dry throughout. The surface is covered by about 30 percent flagstones and 50 percent channers.

A--0 to 5 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely channery fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, medium and fine and common very fine roots; 15 percent flagstones, 5 percent cobbles, 45 percent channers; strongly effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 5 cm thick)

C1--5 to 13 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse, medium and fine and common very fine roots; 3 percent flagstones, 5 percent cobbles, 30 percent channers; strongly effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.

C2--13 to 18 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; massive; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium and fine and common very fine roots; 10 percent flagstones, 45 percent channers; strongly effervescent (13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated, very few fine carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary.

R--18 to 28 cm; calcareous sandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 21 kilometers (13 miles) east-northeast of Woodside ghost town, along Range Creek Canyon; located about 800 feet north and 2,200 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 26, T. 17 S., R. 16 E.; Three Fords Canyon USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 18 minutes 4 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 6 minutes 22 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on Ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 51 cm to bedrock, lithic

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Sand content: greater than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly fine sandy loam, extremely cobbly fine sandy loam, extremely channery fine sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent total; 0 to 5 percent boulders, 0 to 30 percent stones or flagstones, 5 to 40 percent cobbles, 10 to 70 percent channers or gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.4

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: very channery fine sandy loam, very cobbly fine sandy loam, very channery sandy loam
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent total; 0 to 10 percent stones or flagstones, 5 to 30 percent cobbles, 15 to 60 percent channers or gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: pH 7.4 to 8.8

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Andanada (NM), Daklos (UT), Ednagrey (NV), Meriwhitica (AZ), Nonip (UT), Redsun (WY), Reef (UT), Skos (UT), Sunup (WY), Teesto (AZ) and Windcomb (UT) series.
Andanada, Nonip, Sunup soils: the particle-size control section averages greater than 18 percent noncarbonate clay
Daklos, Meriwhitica, and Teesto soils: have mean annual soil temperature higher than 11 degrees C. (52 degrees F.)
Ednagrey soils: have accumulations of secondary carbonates, and is moist in the soil moisture control section for a longer period in late winter and early spring
Redsun, Reef, Skos, and Windcomb soils: have hue redder than 7.5YR

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Slope alluvium and colluvium over residuum derived from limestone and sandstone; bedrock is commonly the Price River and Green River Formations
Landform: Canyons, cuestas, mesas, mountain slopes
Slopes: 30 to 80 percent
Elevation: 1,280 to 2,073 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 10.0 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 229 to 305 mm
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June.
Frost-free period: 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gerst, Hideout and Strych series. The Gerst and Hideout soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are on less steep ledges. Gerst soils are very shallow or shallow to a paralithic contact. The Strych soils are very deep and are on lower canyon slopes and alluvial fans.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderately rapid permeability, high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Existing vegetation includes Utah juniper, twoneedle pinyon, black sagebrush, alderleaf mountain mahogany, Salina wildrye and western wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah, Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus; LRR D, MLRA 34B; small extent. About 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres) mapped in Emery and Sevier Counties, Utah.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Emery County, Utah, Emery Area, Utah, 2011. Parts of Emery, Carbon, Grand, and Sevier soil survey area. The name is coined. This sereis was proposed as a warmer and superactive counterpart of the Atchee series.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 18 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 0 to 18 cm. (A and C horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 5 cm. (A horizon)
Lithic contact: The contact with sandstone bedrock at 18 cm. (R horizon)

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

Taxonomic Version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.