LOCATION FRANCIS UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Psammentic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Francis loamy fine sand--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; few fine and medium pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
A--7 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; few fine and medium pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
C1--13 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
C2--23 to 73 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Weber County, Utah; about 0.25 miles east of the Roy Post Office; approximately 300 feet east and 275 feet south of the northwest corner of section 24, T. 5 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 13 inches.
The Ap and A horizons have hue of 10YR, values of 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3. They have 1 to 3 percent organic matter.
The C horizons has hues of 7.5YR or 10YR, values of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is dominantly loamy fine sand, but it ranges to fine sand. In some places the C horizon is slightly to moderately calcareous below 60 inches. In some pedons the soil is gravelly below depths of 48 inches, and a few pebbles 1/4 to 3/4 inches in diameter are throughout the soil.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the La Posta, Layton, and Wasatch series.
La Posta soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Layton soils have horizons with accumulation of secondary carbonates. Wasatch soils have texture of loamy coarse sand or sand in the particle-size control section, are dominated by medium to very coarse sand grains, and are slightly acid or neutral in reaction.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Francis soils are on lake terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent. These soils have formed in lacustrine materials that have been reworked by wind. The materials are derived from quartzite, gneiss, granite, and sandstone and are noncalcareous. The climate is moist subhumid, with an average annual precipitation from 16 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 47 to 51 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is from 68 to 73 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 175 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kilburn and Timpanogos soils. Kilburn soils have very gravelly and cobbly sandy loam control sections. Timpanogos soils have argillic horizons and horizons of carbonate accumulation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very low to medium surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Francis soils are used dominantly as rangeland. Areas under irrigation are used primarily for orchards, truck crops, and alfalfa. Much of this soil is being used for homesites. The native vegetation is mainly sand dropseed, Indian ricegrass, threeawn grass, oakbrush, big sagebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, cheatgrass, sunflowers, and other annual weeds.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Utah. These soils are not extensive with about 5,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Weber 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 13 inches (Ap and A horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (C1 horizon and parts of the A and C2 horizons).
This revision of February 2006 updates the taxonomic class from Sandy, mixed, mesic Entic Haploxerolls based on sandy textures throughout the particle-size control section.