LOCATION GREENSON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Greenson loam--irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common medium pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A--7 to 16 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common medium pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
Bw--16 to 23 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few medium pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Bk1--23 to 39 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure, hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) moist masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--39 to 51 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C--51 to 75 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Cache County, Utah; about one mile east and 0.25 miles north of the Wellsville cemetery; approximately 1,320 feet south and 600 feet east of the northeast corner of section 36, T. 11 N., R. 1 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The average annual soil temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F., and the average summer temperatures is 62 to 68 degrees F. The soils are dry in all parts of the 4 to 12 inch moisture control section for 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice in normal years.
The mollic epipedon is 11 to 19 inches thick. The combined thickness of the A and Bw horizons is 16 to 25 inches. The control section averages loam or silt loam with 18 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. The soils are saturated within 40 inches for more than 90 days when not frozen, unless artificially drained. The water table commonly occurs between 30 to 40 inches if the soil has not been drained.
The A horizons have value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2, but the chroma is usually less than 2. They have 3 to 9 percent organic matter and weak to moderate, fine to medium, granular or subangular blocky structure. They are slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline and slightly to strongly effervescent.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam or silt loam. It has weak, very fine to coarse subangular blocky structure. It is slightly to moderately alkaline and slightly to strongly effervescent.
The Bk and C horizons have hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 6 through 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. It has few faint to many medium distinct mottles. It is loam, silt loam or silty clay loam and is gravelly below 38 inches in some pedons. It is moderately to strongly alkaline, and strongly to violently effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lando series. Lando soils have mollic epipedons that are 30 to 60 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Greenson soils are on low lake terraces. The soils formed in lacustrine deposits derived from limestone, sandstone, and quartzite. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 4,450 to 4,650 feet. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is 69 to 72 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Collett, Lewiston, Logan, Nibley, and Roshe Springs soils. Collett soils are fine textured and have seasonal aquic conditions within 30 inches of the soil surface. Lewiston, Logan, and Roshe Springs soils have calcic horizons within 16 inches. Nibley soils have silty clay argillic horizons and chroma of 2 or more.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained or moderately well drained; low to medium surface runoff; slow to moderate permeability (moderately low to high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: Greenson soils are used for irrigated cropland for sugar beets, small grains, alfalfa, or improved pasture where drained. The native vegetation is mainly inland saltgrass, meadow foxtail, and alkali sacaton with some areas having wiregrass and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache County (Cache Area), Utah, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 16 inches (Ap and A horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 16 to 23 inches (Bw horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 23 to 51 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 30 and 60 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the Bk1, Bk2, and C horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bw and Bk1 horizons and parts of the A and Bk2 horizons).
This revision of February 2006 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Calciustolls based on depth to aquic conditions deeper than 30 inches and the assumed moisture regime being xeric instead of ustic.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. Laboratory data of the typical pedon verifies the activity class.
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 178-179, Table 7 of the Soil Survey of Cache Valley Area, Utah, Parts of Cache and Box Elder Counties. The pH values in the typical pedon are from saturated paste.