LOCATION FLOWELL UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Flowell clay loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) when moist; weak, fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; abundant fine and medium roots; few, fine, tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bt1--4 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) when moist; weak, fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common, medium and fine, tubular pores; thin, continuous clay films; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual, smooth boundary.
Bt2--10 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) when moist; strong, coarse, angular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and coarse roots; few, fine, tubular pores; moderate, continuous clay films; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual, wavy boundary.
C--24 to 60 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) when moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few, fine and medium roots; common, fine and medium, tubular pores; very strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; about 4 and 3/4 miles north of Manderfield; northeast 1/4 of the northwest 1/4, sec.32, T.27 S., R. 7 W.; lat. 38 degrees 25 minutes 23.95 seconds N. and long. 112 degrees 40 minutes 9.58 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are moist in some part of the moisture control section more than 50 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. but are continually dry for more than 60 consecutive days during the summer in more than 7 out of 10 years.
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 50 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 63 to 66 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 10 to 19 inches.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: Clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
Structure: Moderate coarse subangular blocky structure that separates to weak or moderate fine angular and subangular blocky structure
Other features: Thin to moderately thick, continuous clay films on faces of peds.
C horizon
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Banner (ID),
Dangulch (T ID),
Gem (UT),
Gemson (ID), and
Kanarra (UT) series.
Banner (ID) soils have gravelly 2C horizons and formed in loess and basalt.
Dangulch (T ID) soils have Cr horizons at 40 to 60 inches.
Gem (ID) soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches.
Gemson (ID) soils have Bt horizons to 60 inches.
Kanarra (UT) soils have Btk horizons and prismatic structure in the Bt horizon; Kanarra and Flowell soils are very similar and may be combined in soil survey updates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on alluvial fans, hills, and terraces with gradients of 3 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 6000 to 6,800 feet. The climate is dry subhumid, with an average annual precipitation of 12 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 62 to 70 degrees F. The frost free season is 100 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Pavant, Millard, Red Butte, and Ushar soils. Pavant soils lack Bt horizons and have petrocalcic horizons. Millard soils have less than 35 percent clay and are deep to moderately deep over gravel. Red Butte soils are cobbly throughout. Ushar soils have less than 35 percent clay and lack argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principally used as rangeland for cattle and wildlife; limited use for irrigated and nonirrigated cropland. Principal native vegetation is big sagebrush, bitterbrush, phlox, bluebunch wheatgrass, squirreltail, sandberg bluegrass, and snakeweed. In Utah it is associated with the Upland Loam (Basin Big Sagebrush) range site.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This series is of moderate extent. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Millard County (East Millard Area), Utah, 1949.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the 0 to 10 inches. (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 4 to 24 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 24 to 60 inches. (Ck horizons)
The Ck horizon designation is derived from the original Cca designation from the early 1970's. Field work is needed to establish the presence of secondary carbonates.
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006". The type location was moved from Millard county to Beaver county in February 1999.