LOCATION DIXIE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Dixie gravelly loam on a 6 percent west-facing slope -- rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated). The soil surface is covered with 1 percent stones.
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting a weak very thin platy; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and many very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
AB--2 to 6 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to weak medium and fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; 5 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; 10 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; few faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Btk--10 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; few medium, common fine and very fine pores; 10 percent cobbles and 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and in few flecks; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
Bk1--15 to 27 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) very gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; 5 percent cobbles and 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and occur as thin coatings on rock fragments; discontinuously weakly cemented; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
Bk2--27 to 43 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and occur as thin coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bk3--43 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent cobbles and 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated and occur as thin coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 3.4 miles west of Antelope Peak, about 2,030 feet north and 1,170 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 13, T. 35 S., R. 15 W. Antelope Peak USGS Quad; 37 degrees 45 minutes 23 seconds latitude, 113 degrees 29 minutes 09 seconds longitude; NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: Aridic bordering on Xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 66 to 74 degrees F.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 20 inches. In some pedons the A, Bw and Bt horizons may be slightly effervescent.
Control section:
Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features: Where value is 5 dry and 3 moist and chroma is 3 or less, the horizon is less than 7 inches thick.
AB horizon: (when present)
Hue: 10YR or 7.5 YR.
Value: 3 to 5 moist.
Texture: Loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 15 to 26 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bt horizon:
Hue: Dominantly 5YR or 7.5YR, ranges to 10YR in some pedons.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 to 6.
Texture: Clay loam; subhorizons of loam or sandy clay loam are in some pedons.
Clay content: Averages 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Neutral to moderately alkaline.
Btk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Sandy clay loam, loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 45 percent gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Sandy loam and loam. Some pedons contain subhorizons of clay loam.
Clay content: 10 to 26 percent after mixing.
Rock Fragments: 15 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Other features: It is discontinuously weakly cemented to strongly cemented by carbonates. In some pedons, discontinuous indurated layers are present.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ackelton (ID), Paulville (ID), Sevy (UT), Stiles (CA), and Woozle (ID) series. Ackelton soils have duripans below 40 inches. Paulville and Sevy soils have 0 to 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Stiles soils are moderately deep. Woozle soils have no coarse fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dixie soils are on fan terraces, stream terraces, alluvial fans, fan remnants, and hill footslopes at elevations of 5,000 to 6,100 feet. Slopes range from 2 to 40 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and colluvium from intermediate and basic igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F, and the mean summer air temperature is 64 to 70 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Checkett and Sevy series. Checkett soils are shallow over bedrock and occur in foothills. Sevy soils have less than 15 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon and occur on gently sloping fans downslope of the Dixie soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability (permeability may be very slow in cemented layers).
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. A few areas are used for irrigated alfalfa, small grains and potatoes. The native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, galleta, snakeweed, threeawn, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah. These soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beryl-Enterprise Area, Utah, 1942.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 2 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone of illuvial clay accumulation from a depth of about 6 to 26 inches. (Bt and part of the Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone of carbonate accumulation from a depth of about 10 to 60 inches. (Btk and Bk horizons)
This soil was reclassified from a Xeralfic Haplargids to Xeric Calciargids on 9/94.
The type location was change 9/94 to better represent the series.