LOCATION DESPAIN UT+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Pachic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Despain gravelly loam, native grasses and shrubs. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine, medium and large roots; 20 percent gravel and cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
A12--9 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine, medium and large roots; many fine random interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
B21t--16 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly light clay loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; many fine random, interstitial pores; thin continuous clay films; 30 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
B22t--23 to 30 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly light clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; many fine random, interstitial pores;common thin clay films; 30 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 7.1); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
Cca--30 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly heavy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine pores; 40 percent gravel and cobbles; strongly calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).
R--60 inches; partially fractured sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Cache County, Utah; 8 miles south of Hardware Ranch and 1 mile east of road; 200 feet west of the east 1/4 corner (assumed SE corner from 8 miles south of ranch description - falls within a Despain mapping unit) of section 26, T.9N., R.3E. Located on steep to very steep, dominantly south and west facing slopes. Monte Cristo Peak quad - lat. 41 degrees 28 minutes 51 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 33 minutes 35 seconds
W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 20 to 40 inches thick. The combined thickness of the A1 and B2t horizons ranges from 24 to 40 inches. The lower part of the B horizon may be slightly to moderately calcareous. Gravel and cobble content generally increase with depth, ranging 10 to 30 percent in the A horizon, 20 to 35 percent in the B horizon, and 35 to 80 percent in the C horizon. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 39 to 46 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature at depth of 20 inches ranges from 60 to 65 degrees F. The soils are moist 55 to 65 percent of the time but are dry in all parts of the 4 to 12 inch zone for 60 to 75 consecutive days in the summer and early autumn. The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak to moderate, very fine to fine granular structure in the upper part and weak medium to coarse subangular blocky structure in the lower part. This horizon horizon ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline. It is 10 to 18 inches thick. The B2t horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 6. It is cobbly and gravelly light clay loam or cobbly and gravelly heavy loam, with more than 18 percent clay and 20 to 35 percent cobbles and gravel. This horizon has weak to moderate fine films on peds and in pores. The B2t horizon is slightly acid to mildly alkaline and is 8 to 20 inches thick. The C horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6. It ranges from cobbly and gravelly loam to very cobbly and gravelly clay loam. This horizon has weak subangular blocky structure or is massive. It is mildly to moderately alkaline and moderately to strongly calcareous.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ant Flat, Clegg, Datwyler, Gross, Horrocks, Lize, Sheep Creek and Smarts series. Ant Flat soils have clay argillic horizons and have less than 15 percent rock fragments. Clegg soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon. Datwyler soils have very cobbly clay argillic horizons. Gross soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Horrocks, Sheep Creek and Smarts soils have more than 35 percent cobbles and gravel in the argillic horizon. Lize, Horrocks and Smarts soils lack horizons of carbonate accumulation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Despain soils are at elevations of 5,500 to 8,000 feet on steep to very steep, dominantly south and west facing slopes with gradients of 20 to 70 percent. In the Clarkston Mountain area, these soils are on north facing slopes. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium from sandstone, limestone and quartzite. The climate is humid, with warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The mean annual temperature is 37 to 44 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 16 to 28 inches. The frost free season is 60 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bickmore and Lucky Star soils and the Ant Flat and Sheep Creek soils. Lucky Star soils have albic horizons and mean summer temperatures of less than 59 degrees F.; and lack zones of lime accumulation. Bickmore soils have mean summer temperatures of less than 59 degrees F.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to moderately rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland and watershed. The native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, tall native bluegrass, Great Basin wildrye grass, prairie junegrass, Columbia needlegrass, geranium, balsamroot, lupine, yellowbrush and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain areas of northern Utah. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache County, Utah, 1972.
REMARKS: The Despain soils were formerly classified as Chestnut soils.
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.
The Type Location was updated 1/2004.