LOCATION ELZINGA                 UT

Established Series
Rev. VLM/MEO/KLS
01/2023

ELZINGA SERIES

The Elzinga series consists of deep to very deep, well drained soils on very steep north or northeast facing mountain sides. They formed in colluvium and residuum from sandstone and limestone. Slope ranges from 30 to 60 percent. The mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C, and the mean annual precipitation is about 530 mm.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Elzinga silt loam, native bigtooth maple and grasses. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oe--0 to 3 cm; partially decomposed leaves and twigs.

A--3 to 59 cm; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary. (50 to 90 cm thick)

E1--59 to 69 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

E2--69 to 125 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of E1 and E2 horizons - 35 to 80 cm thick)

E/Bt--125 to 161 cm; about 70 percent E horizon and 30 percent Bt horizon. The E portion is pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly, very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; the Bt portion is brown (7.5YR 5/4) very cobbly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; thin continuous clay films; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (30 to 65 cm thick)

R--161 to 169 cm; fractured sandstone with Bt horizon material as above extending into cracks. More than 90 percent sandstone rock.

TYPE LOCATION: Cache County, Utah; about 5 km south of Wellsville, Utah; about 365 meters south and 610 meters east of the northwest corner of section 27, T.10N., R.1W. Located on very steep north or northeast facing mountain slopes. Wellsville USGS quad; lat. 41 degrees 34 minutes 46 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 57 minutes 4 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Oe horizon thickness--1 to 5 cm
Mollic epipedon thickness--50 to 90 cm
Combined thickness of A, E, and Bt horizons--150 cm or more
Mean annual soil temperature--4 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature at 50 cm depth--15 to 17 degrees C
The soils are usually moist but are dry in some subhorizons for 30 to 40 days during the late summer months.
Rock fragment content--30 to 50 percent in the E1 horizon and 35 to 60 percent in the E2 and Bt horizons that are mainly angular gravel and cobbles of sandstone lithology.

A horizon
Value--1 or 2 moist
Chroma--1 or 2 dry and 1 or 1.5 moist
Structure--weak to moderate, fine to medium granular
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.1

E horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--silt loam, cobbly silt loam or cobbly very fine sandy loam
Structure--weak fine or medium subangular blocky structure or massive
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5
The E horizon tongues into the Bt horizon forming the E/Bt horizon.

Bt horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--very cobbly clay loam to very cobbly loam
Structure--moderate medium to fine subangular blocky
Rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Flygare, LaPlatta, Lucky Star, Maughan, Scave, and Smarts series. Flygare soils have moist chroma of 2 or more in the mollic epipedon and an average summer temperature of less than 15 degrees C. LaPlatta soils lack albic horizons and have horizons of carbonate accumulation. Lucky Star and Scave soils have mollic epipedons less than 50 cm thick with moist chroma of 2 or more and an average summer temperature of less than 15 degrees C. Maughan soils have cobbly clay argillic horizons containing less than 35 percent coarse fragments. Smarts soils have mollic epipedons with chroma of 2 or more, lack albic horizons, and have very cobbly heavy loam argillic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--very steep north or northeast facing mountain slopes
Elevation--1525 to 2275 meters
Slope--30 to 60 percent
Parent material--colluvium and residuum from sandstone and limestone
Climate--moist subhumid
Mean annual precipitation--510 to 660 mm
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer temperature--16 to 17 degrees C
Frost free period--70 to 120 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and watershed. The native vegetation is bigtooth maple, slender wheatgrass, mountain brome, blue wildrye, chokecherry, snowberry, anise, mint, elkweed, and pallid milkweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Elzinga soils are of small extent in northern Utah; MLRA
47

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache County, Utah, 1969

REMARKS: The Elzinga soils were formerly classified as Brunizems intergrading to Gray Wooded soils.

Type Location was updated 1/2004.

Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 12/2022

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.