LOCATION EARLWEED UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Earlweed fine sand-rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sand, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sand, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--12 to 24 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) fine sand, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bk1--24 to 40 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) fine sand, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; strongly effervescent, few faint carbonate masses on ped surfaces, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 inches thick)
Bk2--40 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sand, pink (5YR 7/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; strongly effervescent, common faint carbonate masses on ped surfaces, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Kane County, Utah; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; about 1,600 feet west and 3,000 feet north of the southeast corner of section 8, Township 38 South, Range 6 East; about; Sunset Flat Quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 31 minutes 22 seconds North and longitude 111 degrees 16 minutes 32 seconds West, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Ustic aridic moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 57 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches
Particle size control section
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand
Calcium carbonates equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Effervescence: noncalcareous, slightly effervescent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Textures: sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand
Effervescence: noncalcareous, slightly effervescent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Other features: Bw horizon is absent in some pedons
Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7, dry or moist
Chroma: 4 to 8, dry or moist
Textures: sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loamy sand
Effervescence: strongly effervescent to violently effervescent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is Pirodel (NM) series. Pirodel soils have buried B horizons and particle size control section average less than 10 percent calcium carbonates equivalent.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material is eolian sand and sandstone residuum. The landform consists of dunes on structural bench, sand sheets on structural benches. The elevation is 5,000 to 6,400 feet, with side slope of 2 to 22 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 55 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is 9 to 14 inches. Frost-free period is 120 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is Milok and Mido soils. Milok soils are coarse-loamy and have calcic horizon at less than 20 inches in depth. Mido soils lack calcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low to low runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Earlweed soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Potential native vegetation includes four-wing saltbush, sand sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, needleandthread, galleta, and Cutler mormontea.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-Central Utah. The soils of this series are not extensive (less than 10,000 acres). MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Soil Survey, Kane County, Utah, 2004. The name "Earlweed" is a derivative of a geographic name from a nearby bench, "Early Weed Bench".
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (A1, A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 12 to 24 inches (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 24 to 60 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Updates and revisions for the correlation of Navajo Mountain Area (AZ711), May 28, 2008, CEM.
Update and revisions for the correlation of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, January 2010, CEM