LOCATION GRUNNELL                UT

Established Series
Rev. CSW/RJL/JWB
03/2011

GRUNNELL SERIES

The Grunnell series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in eolian deposits, colluvium and slope alluvium derived from sedimentary rock. Grunnell soils are on structural benches. Slopes range from 1 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 19 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 8.6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Grunnell gravelly fine sandy loam , on a west-northwest facing, convex, 4 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 1,697 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on April 14, 2000 the soil was slightly moist from 5 to 28 cm. The surface is covered by 2 percent cobbles, 10 percent channers and 15 percent gravel, and partially covered by cryptogam microbiotic crust.

A--0 to 7 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few coarse and medium, common fine and many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 1 percent cobbles, 8 percent channers, 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 cm thick)

AB--7 to 15 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4), moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few coarse and medium, common fine and many very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 1 percent cobbles, 5 percent channers, 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 cm thick)

Bk--15 to 25 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) channery loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few coarse and medium, common fine and many very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; 3 percent cobbles, 20 percent channers, 8 percent angular gravel; violently effervescent (32 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), common dendritic carbonate masses and weakly cemented carbonate nodules, many moderately thick carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.

BCk--25 to 33 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) channery loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 1 percent cobbles, 15 percent channers, 5 percent parachanners, 5 percent angular gravel; violently effervescent (19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), common dendritic carbonate masses and thin carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments and on all faces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk and BCk horizons is 15 to 35 cm)

R--33 to 43 cm; indurated sandstone and shale bedrock; few very fine roots in cracks and top of horizon; common thin carbonate coats in cracks and on bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, UT; about 8 kilometers (5 miles) east-northeast of Elmo; located about 2,000 feet north and 1,000 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 24, T. 16 S., R. 10 E.; Olsen Reservoir USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 24 minutes 59 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 44 minutes 35 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C.
Depth to lithic contact: 25 to 51 cm to bedrock, lithic
Depth to calcic horizon: 13 to 20 cm
Thickness of calcic horizon: 15 to 42 cm

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Total clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Rock fragment content: 10 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 40 percent

A, AB horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 t0 4 dry or moist
Texture: loam, gravelly fine sandy loam,
Clay content: 10 to 25 percent
Carbonate clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent total; 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 35 percent gravel or channers
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

BCk, Bk horizons:
Hue: 2.5Y to 7.5YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: channery loam
Clay content: 15 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 3 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent total; 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 35 percent gravel or channers, 0 to 15 percent parachanners
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Herlong (CA) and Pennell (UT) series. Herlong soils have sodium adsorption ratio of more than 13 and mean annual soil temperature higher than 11 degrees C. Pennell soils have mean annual soil temperature higher than 11 degrees C., and lithology of rock fragments at the type location is of redder members of the Morrison formation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian deposits, colluvium, slope alluvium derived from interbedded sandstone, limestone, siltstone and shale; bedrock includes the Green River formation and Ferron sandstone member of the Mancos formation
Landform: structural benches
Slopes: 1 to 30 percent
Elevation: 1.463 to 1,859 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 10 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 23 cm
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June.
Frost-free period: 120 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Avalon, Pariette and Persayo series. The Avalon and Pariette soils also have a calcic horizon and are on alluvial and colluvial fan and strath terrace slopes below the Grunnell soils. Avalon soils are very deep, and Pariette soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact with shale. The Persayo soils do not have a calcic horizon, are shallow to a paralithic contact with shale and are on shale hills.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderate permeability, moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Existing vegetation includes shadscale, Castle Valley saltbush, bud sagebrush, Indian ricegrass, galleta, sand dropseed and scarlet globemallow. Utah correlates this soil to R034XY121UT Desert Shallow Laom (Shadscale) ecological site.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah, Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus; LRR D, MLRA 34B; small extent. About 1,250 hectares (3,100 acres) mapped in Duchesne and Emery Counties, Utah.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Emery County, Utah, Emery Area, Utah, 2011, Parts of Emery, Carbon, Grand, and Sevier Counties soil survey area. The name is coined. Prior to 2010 Grunnell soils were included in the Pennell series.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 33 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 0 to 33 cm. (A, Bw, Bk and BCk horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 15 cm. (A and AB horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 15 to 33 cm (Bk and BCk horizons)
Lithic contact: The contact with sandstone bedrock at 33 cm. (R horizon)

The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.

Taxonomic Version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.