LOCATION GOBLIN                  UT

Established Series
Rev. JMD/RLM/MJD/JWB
03/2011

GOBLIN SERIES

The Goblin series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in gypsiferous shale and sandstone on eroding pediments. Slopes range from 1 to 50 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 8 inches and mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, gypsic, mesic, shallow Leptic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Goblin loam-rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 3 inches; light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

By--3 to 12 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; common gypsum crystals and veining; moderately calcareous; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

Cr--12 to 22 inches; gypsiferous shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Wayne County Utah; 11 miles north, 4 miles west of Caineville, Utah; northwest 1/4, northeast 1/4 sec. 1, T. 27 S., R. 6 E.; Fruita NW USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 29 minutes 48 seconds north and long. 111 degrees 13 minutes 6 seconds west, NAD27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 5 to 20 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 30 percent
Gypsum content, less than 20 mm fraction: 15 to 30 percent

A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value of 5 to 7 dry, 5 to 8 moist
Chroma of 4 to 6.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 30 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Gypsum: 15 to 30 percent

By horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 5 to 8 moist
Chroma: 0 to 6
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam and loamy very fine sand.
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 25 to 30 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Gypsum: 15 to 30 percent

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goblin soils are on eroding pediment surfaces at elevations of 4,300 to 6,000 feet. Slopes are 1 to 50 percent. The soils formed in calcareous and gypsiferous alluvium and residuum of weathered shale and sandstone with some eolian influence. Some areas have a surface mantle of basalt cobbles. The mean annual temperature is about 45 to 52 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 5 to 10 inches. The average freeze-free period is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Sheppard, Robroost and Trachute soils. The Sheppard, Robroost and Trachute soils are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Potential native vegetation is galleta, Indian ricegrass, shadscale, and Mormon-tea.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and Northern Arizona. The soils of this series are moderately extensive. MLRAs 35, 34B.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wayne County, Utah, (Henry Mountains Area), 1985. Named after Goblin Valley State Park in the survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Series control section: 0 to 12 inches (0 to 30 cm)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm) (A horizon).
Gypsic horizon: 3 to 12 inches (8 to 30 cm) (By horizon).
In Utah this series is correlated with Desert range sites.

In 2010 the series ownership was transferred from Phoenix, Arizona.

The original classification was loamy, gypsic, mesic shallow Typic Torriorthents.

In the future, further investigation and lab sampling is needed to better define the gypsum content of this soil. Soil mapping in the adjacent Emery County suggests that the gypsum content exceeds 30 percent, jwb.

Taxonomic Version: Eleventh Edition, 2010

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.