LOCATION CHEW UT

Established Series
Rev. GWL/CSW/JWB
04/2011

CHEW SERIES

The Chew series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in reworked eolian material and residuum derived from limestone and sandstone. Chew soils are on hillslope shoulders and structural benches. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, carbonatic, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Chew very channery loam, on a north facing, convex, 13 percent slope under Wyoming big sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, and phlox rangeland at an elevation of 6,050 feet. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.) The surface is covered with 5 percent flagstones and 25 percent channers.

A--0 to 3 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate very fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, common fine, few medium tubular pores; 35 percent channers, 5 percent flagstones; very slightly effervescent, (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bw--3 to 9 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very channery loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine, common fine, few medium tubular pores; 40 percent channers, 5 percent flagstones; slightly effervescent, (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonate is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

Bk1--9 to 17 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) channery loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 15 percent channers, 5 percent flagstones; violently effervescent, (41 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in many medium through very coarse irregular shaped masses, and in less than 1 mm thick coatings around rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary.

Bk2--17 to 27 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) channery clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 20 percent channers, 5 percent flagstones; violently effervescent, (38 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in many medium through very coarse irregular shaped masses, and in less than 1 mm thick coatings around rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear irregular boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk is 17 to 35 inches)

BCky--27 to 38 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) channery loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine, fine, and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent channers, 4 percent flagstones: common irregular coarse and very coarse soft gypsum masses and coatings around rock fragments; violently effervescent, (39 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); calcium carbonate is disseminated and segregated in 1 mm thick coatings around rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)

R--38 to 42 inches; unweathered limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 2.75 miles north of the Dinosaur Quarry in an area without a cadastral survey; about 1,400 feet west and 11,400 feet north of the northeast corner of sec. 27, T.4 S., R.23 E., SLBM; 40 degrees, 26 minutes, 55 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 18 minutes, 15 seconds west longitude. NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that is evenly distributed throughout the year with a slight increase in the mid to late summer and fall; aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 20 to 40 inches to limestone bedrock
Depth to the visible secondary carbonates: 5 to 15 inches.

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent clay
Rock fragements: 10 to 35 percent gravel, channers, cobbles and flagstones
Calcium carbonate equivalent: greater than 40 percent in the less than 20 mm fraction.

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam or fine sandy loam modified by 0 to 80 percent stones, flagstones, cobbles, channers and gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 10 percent

Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam, silt loam or fine sandy loam modified by 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 40 percent channers, 0 to 5 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent flagstones.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 20 percent

Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silt loam or fine sandy loam modified by 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 35 percent channers, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent flagstones.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 65 percent
Gypsum: 0 to 3 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

BCky horizon (absent in some pedons):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: loam or sandy loam modified by 15 to 35 percent channers
Calcium carbonate content: 35 to 60 percent
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dean and Singerton soils. The Dean and Singerton soils are very deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent materials: reworked eolian material and slope alluvium over residuum, Landform: hillslope shoulders and structural benches
Slopes: 2 to 50 percent
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,800 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 50 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 9 to 12 inches
Frost-free period: 110 to 150 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abracon and Splimo soils.

Abracon soils are very deep, have mixed mineralogy, and occur on fan remnants.

Splimo soils are 6 to 20 inches deep over a lithic contact.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential native vegetation consists of Indian ricegrass, galleta, needleandthread, Wyoming big sagebrush, shadscale, and winterfat. This soil has been correlated to the Semidesert Gravelly Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush) - 034XY205UT range site at the type location in Utah. It has been correlated to the Semidesert Sandy Loam (Fourwing Saltbush) R034XY216UT in central Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and central Utah; MLRA 34B. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County (Dinosaur Area Soil Survey) Utah, 1997. The name is from a prominent ranch in the area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: the zone from 10 to 38 inches (Bk1, Bk2, and BCky horizons).
Ochric epipedon: the zone from the surface to 3 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: the zone from 9 to 38 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, BCky horizons)
Lithic contact: the contact with limestone bedrock at 38 inches. (R horizon)

Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.