LOCATION GILSTON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Sodic Ustic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Gilston sandy loam on south-facing, concave, 2 percent slope under Wyoming big sagebrush at elevation of 5,600 feet. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; common fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine, common medium and few coarse roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
Bk1--10 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; many fine and very fine and few medium and coarse roots; common fine and very fine and few medium tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as less than 1 mm thick coatings on undersides of gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--21 to 31 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; many fine and very fine and few medium and coarse roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated, segregated as veins and 1 mm thick coatings on undersides of gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bkn--31 to 52 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable; few fine and very fine roots; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent channers; slightly effervescent, (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated, and segregated as veins and 1 mm thick coatings on undersides of gravel; 21 percent exchangeable sodium; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 21 inches thick)
Bkny--52 to 68 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine masses of gypsum throughout peds (37 percent gypsum); strongly effervescent, (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine masses; 53 percent exchangeable sodium; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Bonanza, Utah, 1,000 feet west and 1,300 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 30, T.9S., R.25E., SLBM; 40 degrees 00 minutes 09 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees 08 minutes 15 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly through the year with a slight increase in late summer and early fall. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to cambic: 2 to 5 inches
Depth to gypsic horizon: 40 to 55 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average): 6 to 18 percent clay and 15 to 34 percent sandstone rock fragments.
A horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
EC mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
Bw horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
EC mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
SAR: 5 to 13
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Bk and Bkn horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
EC mmhos/cm: 0 to 2
SAR: 5 to 13
Exchangeable sodium: less than 15 percent in the Bk and greater than 15 in the Bkn
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Bkny horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: sandy loam, loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, silt loam, gravelly sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent
EC mmhos/cm: 4 to 16
SAR: 30 to 55
Exchangeable sodium: greater than 15
Gypsum: 5 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no current competitors.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium derived mainly from sandstone
Landform: drainageways
Slope: 2 to 8 percent
Elevation: 5,000 to 6,400 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 12 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 49 degrees F.
Freeze-free period: 110 to 140 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cadrina, Chalkcliff, Muff, and Walknolls soils. Cadrina and Walknolls soils are on plateau hillslopes and are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock. Chalkcliff soils are on fan remnants and have a loamy-skeletal particle size control section. Muff soils are on benches and have a natric horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland, wildlife habitat, recreation and mining. Potential native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, spiny horsebrush, rubber rabbitbrush, shadscale, bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, and bluegrass. This soil has been correlated to the Semidesert Gravelly Sandy Loam (Wyoming Big Sagebrush) - 034XY206UT range site in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. The series is of moderate extent. LRR D, MLRA 34.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey Area, Utah, 1998. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - from 4 to 10 inches (Bw horizon).
Gypsic horizon - from 52 to 60 inches (Bkny horizon)
Sodic feature - greater than 15 percent exchangeable sodium in the zone from 31 to 68 inches. (Bkn and Bkny horizons)
The classification was changed from Ustic Torriorthents to Sodic Ustic Haplocambids 1/1999.
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.
ADDITIONAL DATA: This profile was sampled NSSL, 1980 80P2821-2829.