LOCATION DIAGULCH UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Diagulch loam, on a northeast facing, convex-concave, 4 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 7,265 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and very fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
A2--4 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and very fine granular; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 14 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; strongly effervescent (26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine irregular shaped masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--14 to 22 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as many fine and medium irregular shaped masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear irregular boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bk3--22 to 34 inches; pink (5YR 7/4) loam, red (2.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent (27 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine irregular shaped masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
C1--34 to 53 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) sandy loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)
C2--53 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) gravelly loamy sand, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; 5 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 25 miles northeast of Vernal; located about 200 feet west and 2,100 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 12, T. 2 S., R. 23 E., SLBM; Blair Basin, Utah USGS quad; lat. 40 degrees 39 minutes 47 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 16 minutes 33 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly through the year with a slight increase in late summer and early fall. Typic ustic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 7 to 15 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 9 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average): 18 to 27 percent clay; 0 to 15 percent rock fragments (of limestone and quartzite origin)
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy loam, and gravelly sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
C horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly loamy sand and sandy loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the
Amor,
Max,
Peerless,
Shambo, and
Tansem series. Competitors prior to the 1998 Keys to Soil Taxonomy are the
Azaar,
Coulterg,
Mavreeso,
Minnimaud,
Quigley,
Rottulee,
Roundup,
Tewfel, and
Twin Creek series.
Amor, Minnimaud, Roundup, Tewfel: are 20 to 40 inches in depth to a paralithic contact.
Azaar and Rottulee: are 20 to 40 inches in depth to a lithic contact.
Coulterg, Mavreeso, and Shambo: do not have a calcic horizon.
Quigley, Coulterg, and Max: have hue yellower than 7.5YR.
Peerless: have a lithologic discontinuity with greater than 35 percent rock fragments.
Twin Creek and Tansem: have cambic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian deposits over slope alluvium derived from limestone with a minor influence from quartzite rocks
Landform: shoulders and summits of hills
Slopes: 3 to 15 percent
Elevation: 7,300 to 7,700 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 40 to 43 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 22 inches
Frost-free period: 70 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clyl, Cortyzack, Dokie, Flynncove, and Tridell series.
Clyl and Dokie soils occur on mountain slopes and are loamy-skeletal.
Cortyzack soils are on hillslopes and have an argillic horizon.
Flynncove soils occur along drainageways and have an argillic horizon.
Tridell soils occur on steep escarpments and are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low and medium runoff, moderate permeability in the upper part and rapid permeability below 4 feet.
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, needleandthread, antelope bitterbrush, and western wheatgrass. These soils have been correlated to Mountain Loam (Mountain Big Sagebrush) - 047CY430UT in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. LRR E, MLRA 47. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah. 1998. The name is coined from nearby geographic locale Diamond Gulch.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk1 through C1 horizons.)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 9 inches. (A1, A2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 9 to 34 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3 horizons)
The upper 6 inches after mixing is not calcareous.
Diagulch was reclassified to Typic Haploborolls from Aridic Haploborolls in 6/96.
Classification was changed from Typic Haploborolls to frigid, Tyic Haplustolls 12/98.
The cation exchange activity class was inferred from laboratory data from similar soils in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.
Taxonomic Version: Eighth Edition, 1998.