LOCATION CLOUD RIM UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cloud Rim loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; loose, very friable; many fine and medium roots; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A2--2 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate coarse granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine pores; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 54 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine pores; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (40 to 50 inches thick)
Bt2--54 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few thin clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; 4 miles northwest from Midway Post Office in Snake Creek drainage; road cut leading from development area to Utah Power and Light water line; 1,920 feet west and 1,280 feet south of northeast corner of sec. 20, T. 3 S., R. 4 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The solum is 50 inches or more thick. The rock fragments are mainly gravel and cobbles of sandstone, but some are gneiss and schist. The mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 60 to 66 degrees F. The soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 50 to 80 consecutive days in more than 7 out of 10 years.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. It is neutral to slightly acid and is 10 to 16 inches thick.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is loam, clay loam, gravelly clay loam, or sandy clay loam and contains few to 20 percent gravel and cobbles. Stones occur in some pedons. This horizon generally has moderate or weak coarse or medium subangular blocky or prismatic structure parting to fine and medium subangular blocky. It is neutral to slightly acid. Rock fragments increase up to 35 percent below a 40 inch depth in some pedons. The texture is clay below 60 inches in some pedons.
Some pedons have a C horizon at depth of 50 to 60 inches that has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It ranges from gravelly or cobbly silt loam to very gravelly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alexander (T), Ayoub, Isbell, Kanlee, Maple Mountain, Paynecreek, Roughmount (T) and Ticino series. Alexander, Ayoub, and Kanlee soils have bedrock less than 40 inches. Isbell, Maple Mountain, and Paynecreek soils have solum thickness less than 50 inches. Roughmount (T) and Ticino soils have a paralithic contact between 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cloud Rim soils are on moderately steep to steep mountainsides at elevations of 5,600 to 7,500 feet. Slope ranged from 15 to 40 percent. They formed in alluvium and colluvium derived mainly from mixed sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, mainly sandstone and quartzite that include some gneiss and schist. The climate is moist subhumid with 18 to 25 inches of precipitation, falling mostly as snow. Mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. and mean summer temperature is 57 to 63 degrees F. Freeze-free period is 70 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Durfee, Durst, Smarts, Wallsburg and Yeates Hollow soils. Durfee and Yeates Hollow soils have argillic horizons with more than 35 percent clay and more than 35 percent rock fragments. Durst and Smarts soils have argillic horizons with more than 35 percent rock fragments. Smarts soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Wallsburg soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock and have fine textured argillic horizons that contain more than 35 percent coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as spring-fall range for livestock, wildlife habitat and watershed. Important native plants are native bluegrasses, bearded wheatgrass, oniongrass, slender wheatgrass, mountain bromegrass, Letterman needlegrass, basin wildrye, horsemint, geranium, balsamroot, oakbrush, snowberry, serviceberry, mountain big sagebrush and chokecherry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain slopes in north-central Utah. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wasatch County (Wasatch Area), Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 14 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon -the zone from approximately 14 to 34 inches (Bt1 horizon)
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.