LOCATION COPPERTON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Copperton very gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thin platy structure that parts to moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent cobble and gravel; noncalcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
A12--6 to 13 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly heavy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine and very fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent cobble and gravel; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 7 inches thick)
AC--13 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly heavy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure that breaks to moderate very fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; 70 percent cobble and gravel; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
C1ca--19 to 42 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 75 percent gravel and cobble; very strongly calcareous; lime is moderately cemented at the surface of this horizon and weakly cemented throughout; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)
C2ca--42 to 54 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; structureless; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 90 percent cobble and gravel; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Salt Lake County, Utah; KCPX T.V. tower road about 100 yards west of the place it crosses the old Kennecott railroad grade; about 650 feet W. and 800 feet S. of the N.E. corner of section 6, T.3S., R.2W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is less than 20 inches thick. Weakly to moderately cemented, very strong lime horizons occur at depths of 12 to 30 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 46 to 50 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature at 20 inches is 65 to 70 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry for more than 60 consecutive days in all parts of the 8 to 24 inch depth in more than 7 out of 10 years. The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak to moderate platy or granular structure. The AC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is very gravelly or very cobbly loam with 50 to 70 percent coarse fragments. The C1ca horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is very gravelly or very cobbly loam or silt loam, with 35 to 75 percent coarse fragments. This horizon is weakly to moderately cemented. The C2ca horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It ranges from very gravelly or very cobbly loamy sand to silt loam with 70 to 90 percent coarse fragments. Streaks and thin strata of nongravelly materials occur at varying depths in some places in the C horizons of these soils.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Alpowa, Bezzant, Hupp, Lakewin, Middle, Picayune, and Watkins Ridge series. Alpowa and Benge soils lack cementation in the Cca horizon. Also, Benge soils have basalt gravel and sand at depths of 24 to 40 inches. Bezzant soils are calcareous throughout and have mean annual soil temperature of less than 47 degrees F. Hupp and Lakewin soils have cambic horizons, and Lakewin soils are coarse, loamy over sandy or sandy skeletal. Middle soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Picayune soils have cambic horizons and have mean annual soil temperature of less than 47 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Copperton soils are on convex, short, sloping to very steep (5 to 40 percent) southerly exposures of the slopes and ridges that parallel drainageways at the base of the mountains. Elevations range from 5,150 to about 6,000 feet. The soils formed in deep very gravelly and very cobbly alluvium derived from mixed sedimentary parent rocks. The climate is moist subhumid, with an annual precipitation averaging 17 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 60 degrees F. The frost free season is 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bingham, Dry Creek, Gappmayer, Henefer, and Red Rock soils. Bingham, Dry Creek, and Henefer soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments and have argillic horizons. Also, Henefer soils lack lime horizons and have mean annual soil temperature less than 47 degrees F. Gappmayer soils have albic horizons, argillic horizons, and the mean annual soil temperature is less than 47 degrees F. Red Rock soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick and lack coarse fragments and calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for spring and fall range. Present vegetation is cheatgrass, bluegrasses, big sagebrush, and scattered oakbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain footslopes and alluvial fans in western Salt Lake County, Utah. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Salt Lake County (Salt Lake Area), Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Copperton soils were formerly classified as Regosols.
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.