LOCATION CUTOFF UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calcixerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Cutoff gravelly loam, on a 33 percent convex-concave west-facing slope in rangeland. When described the soil was dry. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, many fine and common medium roots; 15 percent gravel; strongly calcareous, carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--5 to 13 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) gravelly loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/8) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, many fine and medium and few coarse roots; many fine pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobble; strongly calcareous, carbonate is on the underside of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bk2--13 to 24 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly loam, red (2.5YR 5/6) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm; common fine, few medium and coarse roots; common fine pores; 50 percent gravel; very strongly calcareous, carbonate is on the underside of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 24 inches thick)
BCk--24 to 35 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly loam, red (2.5YR 5/6) dry; massive; soft, very friable; common fine roots; 50 percent gravel; very strongly calcareous, carbonate is veined and on the underside of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
R--35 inches; fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Rich County, Utah; about 8.5 miles west and 2.5 miles south of Randolph; 1,400 feet south and 100 feet west of the NE corner of Section 11, T. 10 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Xeric moisture regime; the soil is dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 or more consecutive days within the four months following the summer solstice.
Thickness of the solum: 10 to 22 inches
Depth to lithic contact with sandstone: 20 to 40 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 40 to 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 59 to 62 degrees F.
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR
Value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist (The combined values of 5 dry and 3 moist lack the thickness for a mollic epipedon)
Chroma: 3 through 6, moist and dry
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8, moist and dry
Testure: commonly gravelly loam or very gravelly loam and less commonly very cobbly loam
Rock fragment content: 15 to 60 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
BCk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR,
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8, moist and dry
Texture: very gravelly loam or very cobbly loam, and less commonly extremely gravelly loam or extremely cobbly loam
Rock fragment content: 35 to 75 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES:
Argora (T ID) and
Chausse (T ID) soils are very deep.
Dirtyhead (T ID) soils have
Hue: 10YR and are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact of consolidated calcareous siltstone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cutoff soils are on rolling to very steep foothills and mountain backslopes at elevations of 5,000 to 8,000 feet. Slopes range from 6 to 60 percent. The average annual precipitation is 13 to 17 inches and the mean annual temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 57 to 60 degrees F. Freeze-free period is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Slinger, Kearl, Cowco, Gridge, and Alhark soils. Kearl soils have a mollic epipedon. Cowco and Slinger soils do not have calcic horizons. Gridge soils have bedrock within 20 inches of the surface. Alhark soils have an aridic moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cutoff soils are used mainly for rangeland. The native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, black sagebrush, muttongrass and bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cutoff soils are of moderate extent; about 20,600 acres have been mapped in northeastern Utah. These soils are of small extent in southeastern Idaho. MLRA 47 and 43B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rich County; Utah, 1979. The name is from a ridge and a canyon.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: from the surface to 5 inches (A horizon).
Calcic horizon: from 5 inches to 35 inches (Bk1, Bk2, BCk horizons).
Particle-size control section: the zone from 10 to 35 inches (part of the Bk1, the Bk2, and BCk horizons)
Lithic contact: at 35 inches (R layer).
Classification: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 2003.