LOCATION FORD UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Petrocalcic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ford loam--pastureland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; 11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.9); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent; 18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bk2--16 to 34 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent; 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bkm--34 to 44 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) cemented material, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weakly to strongly cemented by secondary carbonates; hard and brittle; violently effervescent; 17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
B'k--44 to 52 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent; 17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
B'km--52 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cemented material; moderately cemented by secondary carbonates; strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Davis County, Utah; approximately 600 feet north and 200 feet west of the east quarter corner of section 17, T. 4 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Typically moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; dry in all parts of the moisture control section for more than 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice; Xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 48 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon - 5 to 12 inches.
Depth to petrocalcic horizon - 20 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 1 to 4 percent.
Bk horizons - Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or fine sandy loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.
Bkm horizons - Thickness: 3 to 24 inches.
Cementation: Weakly to strongly cemented by secondary carbonates and possibly some silica.
Other features: Many pedons contain cemented horizons separated by lenses of fine sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ford soils are on smooth to undulating low lake terraces. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from limestone, quartzite, and gneiss. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,300 feet. The climate is dry subhumid with a mean annual precipitation of 14 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. and the average summer temperature is 68 to 73 degrees F. The frost-free period is 130 to 175 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Airport, Payson, and Warm Springs soils. Airport soils are fine-silty and have natric horizons. Payson soils are fine textured and have natric horizons. Warm Springs soils are fine-loamy and do not have petrocalcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium surface runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity) above the petrocalcic horizon; Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 2.5 and 4 feet (moderately deep to deep free water occurrence classes) between April and September. Cumulative annual duration class is Common.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ford soils are used for rangeland and pastureland. The native vegetation is mainly inland saltgrass, alkali sacaton, and black greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Utah. These soils are not extensive with about 3,000 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Davis County (Davis-Weber Area), Utah, 1967.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 9 to 34 inches and 44 to 52 inches (Bk1, Bk2, and B'k horizons).
Petrocalcic horizon - The zones from 34 to 44 inches and from 52 to 60 inches (Bkm and B'km horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 30 and 48 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the Bk2, Bkm, and B'k horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 34 inches (Bk2 horizon and part of the Bk1 horizon).
This revision of February 2006 updates the taxonomic class from Coarse-loam, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Palexerolls based on the lack of redoximorphic features in the profile above the upper petrocalcic horizon. The cation exchange activity class is estimated.
This series has not been studied in the field since 1965. Additional field work is needed to accurately determine the range of depths for the water table. The previous range of the water table was listed as 0 to 60 inches. The current range is based on the type location map unit in the Davis-Weber Area Soil Survey.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location has partial characterization data by the Soils Laboratory from Utah State University (USU) Logan, UT and is published on pages 138-139, Table 11 of the Soil Survey of Davis-Weber Area, Utah. The pH values in the typical pedon are from saturated paste.