LOCATION HIKO SPRINGS UT+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Hiko Springs sandy loam-rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 25 inches thick)
Bk1--14 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and cobbles; strongly effervescent; fine distinct secondary calcium carbonate masses coating the bottom of rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 29 inches thick)
Bk2--20 to 25 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; few fine roots; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; fine distinct secondary calcium carbonate masses coating the bottom of rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bk3--25 to 33 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; distinct threads and irregular secondary calcium carbonate masses; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 24 inches thick)
C--33 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; 30 percent gravel and cobbles; strongly effervescent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Millard County, Utah; 4 miles south of Clear Lake rail station and 3 1/2 miles west of Utah Highway 257; northeast 1/4, sec. 23, T. 20 S., R. 9 W. 39 degrees 3 minutes 55 seconds north latitude and 112 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 75 to 85 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 52 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to secondary carbonate: 12 to 30 inches.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
A and Bw horizons:
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Sandy loam, loam, or gravelly sandy loam.
Carbonate equivalent: 3 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 25 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Bk horizon:
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Textures: Sandy loam, coarse sand, sandy clay loam, or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent.
Other features: There is discontinuous weak to strong lime cementation in some pedons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent.
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: Dominantly 2 to 4, but ranges to 6 in some pedons.
Textures: Coarse sand to clay loam.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bluechief (UT), Boreham (UT), Kaito (T AZ), Kinan (AZ), McCutchen (NV), Moffat (UT), Nakai (UT), Nakoy (T UT), Nolava (UT), Nuahs (NV), Pagina (AZ), Riemond (UT), and Trook (WY) series. Bluechief soils have a lithic contact between depths of 20 and 40 inches. Boreham, Moffat, Nakai, Nakoy, and Nolava soils contain less than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. McCutchen soils are high in pyroclastic materials. Boreham and McCutchen soils have a lithological discontinuity below a depth of 40 inches. Kinan, Moffat, Nakai and Pagina soils have hue of 7.5YR or redder throughout the profile. Nuahs soils have a calcic horizon within 12 inches of the surface. Pagina soils have a paralithic contact between depths of 20 and 40 inches. Trook soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 47 to 52 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Hiko Springs soils are on lake terraces, dissected lake plains, alluvial plains, outwash plains and fan remnants at elevations of 3,500 to 6,100 feet. They formed in alluvium and residuum from mixed igneous and sedimentary rocks. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The climate is arid. The average annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 57 degrees F., the mean summer temperature is 69 to 74 degrees F, and the freeze-free period is 100 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluewing, Dera, Goshute, Izo, Mazuma, Timpie, and Uvada soils. Bluewing, Izo, and Dera soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Goshute and Uvada soils have natric horizons. Mazuma and Timpie soils lack calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well and somewhat excessively drained; low to medium runoff; moderate to rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Hiko Springs soils are used for range. The vegetation is shadscale, budsage, galleta grass, hopsage, bottlebrush squirreltail, Indian ricegrass, yellowbrush, and horsebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central-southern Nevada and the central and western parts of southern Utah and the central part of western Utah. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 28A, 28B, and 34.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Pahranagat SCD Area), Nevada, 1940.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 14 inches. (A1 and A2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone of carbonate accumulation from 14 to 33 inches. (Bk1, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bw, Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, and C horizons)
The classification was changed from Typic Calciorthids to Typic Haplocalcids in 12/94.