LOCATION FITZGERALD UT+CO
Established Series
Rev. MEO/JMD/KLS
01/2023
FITZGERALD SERIES
The Fitzgerald series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in colluvium and glacial till from mixed sedimentary and igneous rock. These soils are on mountainsides and have slopes of 8 to 65 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 4 degrees C, and the mean annual precipitation is about 760 mm.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Mollic Palecryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fitzgerald gravelly loam--native conifer. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 5 cm; needle litter.
A1--5 to 13 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium and coarse roots; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 cm thick)
A2--13 to 28 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse granular structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium and coarse roots; thin patchy gray coating on some peds; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)
E--28 to 71 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine, few medium and coarse roots; vesicular pores; 50 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (23 to 41 cm thick)
Bt/E--71 to 119 cm; Bt portion about 80 percent brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse parting to fine blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium, few large roots; common fine pores; common thin clay films; 55 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); the E portion occurs as tongues and coatings on Bt peds and on rock fragments; clear wavy boundary. (20 to 76 cm thick)
Bt--119 to 157 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 80 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; about 18 km southeast from the center of Heber City up Center Creek Road and about 1400 meters southeast of Center Creek Reservoir; about 300 meters south and 100 meters west of northeast corner of sec. 32, T. 4 S., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--2 to 6 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature at a depth of about 50 cm--9 to 14 degrees C
Soils are usually moist, but are dry in parts of the A, E, and Bt horizons for about 30 days during the summer
Solum thickness--97 to 150 cm
Upper boundary of Bt horizon--below 60 cm
Rock fragments--angular gravel and cobble, but includes stones and boulders in some pedons
A horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 or 3
Structure--weak or moderate, fine to coarse granular or subangular blocky
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.5
E horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--loam, sandy loam
Structure--weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular structure or is single grain
Rock fragment content--20 to 70 percent gravel and cobbles, and up to 5 percent stones
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.5
Bt horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--sandy clay loam, sandy loam
Structure--weak to moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky structure
Rock fragment content--50 to 90 percent gravel and cobbles and up to 5 percent stones
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.5
Clay films are few to many, thin to moderately thick, on peds and in pores.
COMPETING SERIES: The only other soil in this family is the
Loggert series. Loggert soils have reddish Bt horizons and are drier.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--moderately steep undulating cirques and very steep north-facing mountainsides
Elevation--2125 to 3200 meters
Slope--8 to 65 percent
Parent material--colluvium from mixed sedimentary and igneous rocks
Climate--humid
Mean annual precipitation--640 to 1000 mm
Mean annual air temperature--1 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer air temperature--13 to 14 degrees C
Frost free period--70 to 80 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as watershed, timber production, and for limited grazing for livestock and wildlife. The present vegetation is overstory of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, white fir, Douglas-fir, and scattered aspen. There is very limited understory vegetation consisting of ninebark and sandmyrtle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Fitzgerald soils are moderately extensive in the high mountain areas of northern Utah and northern Colorado; MLRAs 47 and 48A
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Heber Valley Area, Utah, 1972
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--5 to 28 cm (A1, A2 horizons)
Albic horizon--28 to 71 cm (E horizon)
Argillic horizon--119 to 157 cm (Bt horizon)
Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 12/2022
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.