LOCATION FERRON                  UT

Established Series
Rev. JLS/LDS/CSW/JWB
04/2011

FERRON SERIES

The Ferron series consists of very deep, poorly drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium on flood plains and valley floors. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 8 inches and mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Aeric Fluvaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Ferron silt loam. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 1 inch; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), peaty silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist; 14 percent sand; 61 percent silt; 24 percent clay; weak thick platy structure parting to weak medium granular structure; friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots and few medium roots; carbonate, finely disseminated; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

Ag--1 inch to 4 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist; 22 percent sand; 57 percent silt; 21 percent clay; weak thick platy structure parting to weak medium granular structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots and few medium roots; few fine and few medium pores; 10 percent fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6), dry, masses of oxidized iron and 10 percent medium faint dark gray (N 4/0), dry, iron depletions; carbonate, finely disseminated; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick )

Cgy--4 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), moist; 32 percent sand; 46 percent silt; 22 percent clay; weak thick platy structure parting to weak medium granular structure; friable, soft, slightly plastic; many fine roots and many medium roots; common fine pores; 25 percent medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), dry, masses of oxidized iron; carbonate, finely disseminated in matrix and 21 percent threadlike gypsum masses; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Cg--16 to 61 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), moist; 64 percent sand; 24 percent silt; 12 percent clay; massive; friable, soft; few fine roots and common medium roots; few fine pores; 25 percent medium faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), dry, masses of oxidized iron; carbonate, finely disseminated; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; 2 miles northwest of Huntington; 350 feet north and 20 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 11, T. 17 S., R. 8 E.; Huntington USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 21 minutes 11 seconds N., long. 110 degrees 59 minutes 1 second W., NAD 27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperatures: 47 to 55 degrees F.
Soil moisture:<p> The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Typic aridic moisture regime with aquic conditions.
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 to 20 inches; the seasonal high water table ranges between 6 and 30 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: less than 18 percent clay
Sand content: less than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand,
Texture: very fine sandy loam to light silt loam, with strata of fine sandy loam.

A horizon:
Hues: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 4 to greater than 16
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

C horizons:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to greater than 16
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. The Bigwinder, Chesaning, Mirada, Paxico and Tweba series are in similar families. The Bigwinder, Chesaning, Mirada and Tweba soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. Paxico soils have a superactive CEC class.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on flood plains and in the bottoms of narrow alluvial valleys. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Parent material is alluvium derived from calcareous marine shale and sandstone. The climate is semiarid. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 10 inches. The freeze-free period is from 100 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hunting, Rafael and Ravola soils. Hunting soils have redoximorphic features at some depth between 20 and 40 inches. Rafael soils have a fine-silty particle-size control section. Ravola soils do not have redoximorphic features.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; Slow runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for pasture. Potential vegetation is tufted hairgrass, redtop, native clover, and sedges.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in eastern Utah. The series is inextensive. MLRA 34B

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Green River Soil Conservation District, Emery and Grand Counties, Utah, 1940.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 3 inches (Agy horizon).

Aquic feature: 2 chroma in matrix and redoximorphic concentrations from 1 to 20 inches (Ag and upper Cgy horizons).

Gypsum accumulations - In the zone from 4 to 16 inches (Cgy horizon)

There is an irregular decrease in organic matter with depth or greater than 0.2 percent organic carbon of Holocene age at a depth of 125 cm below the mineral soil surface.

All pH values given are of soil paste.

The classification was changed from Typic Fluvaquent to Aeric Fluvaquent in 9/94.

Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.