LOCATION CHRISTIANBURG           UT+CO NM

Established Series
Rev. RLT/RJL/JWB
04/2011

CHRISTIANBURG SERIES

The Christianburg series consists of very deep, well or moderately well drained soils formed in alluvium. Christianburg soils are on alluvial flats, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The average annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 9.5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Xeric Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Christianburg silty clay--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 18 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) silty clay, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 23 cm thick)

C1--18 to 43 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 38 cm thick)

C2--43 to 90 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); gradual wavy boundary. (38 to 63 cm thick)

C3--90 to 150 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; extremely hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Sevier County, Utah; one mile north of Glenwood, 600 feet east and 1,900 feet south of the northwest corner, sec. 26, T. 23 S., R. 2 W.; Sigurd USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle; lat. 38 degrees 46 minutes 30 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 59 minutes 40 seconds W.; UTM zone 12 413617e, 4292278n; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring and for brief periods in late summer due to convection storms. (Aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime).
Mean annual soil temperature: 9.0 to 12.0 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature: 20 to 21 degrees C

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 13 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry and moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR through 5Y
Value: 5 through 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4 dry and moist
Texture: Silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, and clay
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Christianburg soils are at elevations of 1,390 to 1,840 m (4,560 to 6,040 ft). They formed in alluvium on alluvial flats, fan skirts, and alluvial fans. The climate is semiarid with an average annual precipitation of 200 to 300 mm (8 to 12 inches). Mean annual air temperature is 8.0 to 10.5 degrees C (46 to 51 F.), and the freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Billings and Woodrow soils. Billings soils are fine-silty and are dry more than 75 percent of the time when the soil temperature is above 5 degrees C. Woodrow soils have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR and are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well or moderately well drained; medium runoff; slow or very slow permeability; moderately low or low hydraulic conductivity. Endosaturation is at 150 to 200 cm in some areas of Utah.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for irrigated cropland, pasture and rangeland. Native vegetation is big sagebrush, greasewood, Indian ricegrass, and saltgrass. Principal crops are alfalfa hay, barley and pasture. These soils are correlated to Alkali Bottom ecological sites in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah; MLRA 28A; these soils are of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Richfield Area, Utah, 1947.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm.
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the surface to 18 cm. (Ap horizon)

The Christianburg soil correlated in Elbert County Colorado, East part (CO624) is believed to be a different series with aridic bordering ustic soil moisture regime.

Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.