LOCATION COLSKEL UTInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Lithic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Colskel very gravelly loam, on a 40 percent side slope at an elevation of 7260 feet. The soil was described on February 17, 1999. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The surface is covered with 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent flagstones and 10 percent stones.
A--0 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent flagstones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
C--7 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent flagstones, and 10 percent stones; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
R--18 inches; Straight Cliffs Formation sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, UT; USGS Canaan Creek quad; lat. 37 degrees 40 minutes 08 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 43 minutes 08 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July through September and December through February. Driest during May and June. Aridic ustic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F
Depth to lithic contact - 4 to 20 inches to sandstone
Particle-size control section (weighted average)-
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent gravel, cobbles, channers, flagstones, and stones
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, or moist
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 5 dry, or moist
Texture: gravelly loam, very gravelly loam, extremely gravelly loam, extremely channery loam and loam, with strata of fine sandy loam, sandy loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent gravel, cobbles, stones, channers, and flagstones
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Kydestea (AZ) and
Metuck (AZ) series.
Kydestea soils profile is dominated by channers, average more than 60 percent rock fragment in the particle size control section and contain more than 27 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Metuck soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section and contain 15 to 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: colluvium, and residuum derived from sandstone
Landform: hillslopes on structural benches
Slopes: 2 to 50 percent
Elevation: 5600 to 7800 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 51 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 16 inches
Frost-free period: 100 to 120 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Vessilla and
Atarque series.
The Vessilla soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments. The Atarque soils have an argillic horizon, contains less than 35 percent rock fragments, and located on structural benches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, medium to very high runoff, moderate permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: Colskel soils are used for livestock grazing, recreation, fuelwood production, and wildlife habitat. Potential natural plant community includes Utah juniper, two-needle pinyon, green mormontea, cliffrose, Indian ricegrass, grassy rock goldenrod, galleta, and Nevada bluegrass. These soils have been correlated to the Upland Shallow Loam (Pinyon-Utah Juniper) 035XY315UT ecological site at the type location in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Central, UT; LRR D, MLRA 35; small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garfield County, UT, Grand-Staircase Escalante soil survey area; 2004. The name is coined from the nearby Collet Top.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 7 inches. (A horizon)
Particle size control section- The zone from 10 to 18 inches. (C horizon)
Lithic contact - Contact with sandstone at 18 inches. (R horizon)
Taxonomic Version: Ninth Edition 2003