LOCATION COWCO UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Xeric Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Cowco loam, on a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (When described the soil was moist to a depth of 17 inches. Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C1--8 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; common fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (11 to 37 inches thick)
C2--17 to 38 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 22 inches thick)
C3--38 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Rich County, Utah; about 1 mile east of Woodruff; 2,100 feet south and 1,100 feet east of the NW corner of section 15, T.9N., R.7E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 to 44 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 to 64 degrees F. These soils are dry in all parts 50 to 55 percent of the time that the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It commonly is loam or silt loam and less commonly silty clay loam. The A horizon is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. Some pedons have received thin layers of overwash material that meet the requirements for mollic epipedon except for thickness.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 6 moist and dry. It commonly is silt loam or light silty clay loam and less commonly loam. This horizon ranges from moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. In some pedons there is a very gravelly loamy sand layer below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bruffy, Alovar, Calcross, Genola, and Woodrow series in other families. Bruffy soils have a fine, loamy particle size control section. Alovar, Calcross, Genola and Woodrow soils have mean annual soil temperatures of 47 to 59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cowco soils are on recently deposited floodplains and alluvial fans at elevations of 6,200 to 6,700 feet. The slope is 0 to 6 percent. The climate is arid, with an annual precipitation of 9 to 11 inches. The mean annual temperature is 38 to 42 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is about 59 to 62 degrees F. The frost free season is about 55 to 65 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bereniceton, Ducktree,
Hival, and
Saleratus soils. Bereniceton soils have regular decrease in organic carbon with increasing depth. Ducktree soils have a calcic horizon and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. Hival soils have a cambic horizon. Salertus soils have a seasonal high water table.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cowco soils are used for rangeland and irrigated crops and pasture. Alfalfa and small grains are than principal crops. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, big sagebrush, and squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cowco soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rich County, Utah, 1980.
REMARKS:
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 Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.