LOCATION GOTHO                   UT+AZ NM

Established Series
Rev. AJE/GWL/MJD/LJGII
10/2011

GOTHO SERIES

The Gotho series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium. Gotho soils are on valley floors. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual air temperature is 55 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Gotho clay - rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) light clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; weak medium granular structure, very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; many fine and very fine discontinuous pores; moderately calcareous; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
C1--4 to 16 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) light clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure that parts to moderate thick platy; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; moderately calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
C2--16 to 48 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine pores; moderately calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).

TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; about 2 1/2 miles west of Red Mesa Pumping Station; 2,600 feet north and 1,800 feet west of the SE corner of sec. 25, T.43S., R.22E., S.L.B. & M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 54 to 59 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 74 to 79 degrees F.
Soil moisture: The soils are dry 75 to 80 percent of the time that the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Organic carbon: decreases regularly with depth and is less than 0.2 percent at a depth of 50 inches
Calcium carbonate: slightly to moderately calcareous
Texture: sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: less than 15 percent
Reaction: moderately to very strongly alkaline

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 through 6, dry or moist
Reaction: strongly or very strongly alkaline
Thickness: 0 to 6 inches thick

C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 8, dry or moist
Texture: clay, clay loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay.
Some pedons have thin strata of loamy very fine sand, loamy sand or loamy fine sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Greybull (WY), Montwel (UT), Ohtog (UT), Teapo (WY), and Turzo (UT) series. Greybull, Hostage, and Turzo soils have hues which are more yellow than 5YR. Greybull, Montwell, and Teapo soils have a lithic or paralithic contact above 40 inches. Ohtog soils have mean annual soil temperatures less than 50 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gotho soils are on valley floors and stream terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. The soils formed in mixed, calcareous alluvium. Elevations are 6,900 to 5,300 feet. The climate is arid. The mean annual air temperature is 52 to 57 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is about 78 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches. Frost-free period is about 140 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aneth, Mota, and Sheppard soils. Sheppard soils have loamy fine sand and coarser control sections. Mota soils have calcic horizons and the texture of the control section averages fine sandy loam. Aneth soils have loamy fine sand texture with strata of fine sandy loam in the control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff; moderate to slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as livestock grazing. Vegetation is greasewood, galleta grass, alkali sacaton, fourwing saltbush, Russian thistle, and snakeweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 35.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County, Utah, 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon)
Soils classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th Edition, 2010.
Updates and revisions for the correlation of Navajo Mountain Area (AZ711), June 10, 2008, CEM
Update and revisions for the correlation of Chinle Area (AZ713), August 2011, LJG2
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.