LOCATION IRONTON UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ironton silt loam--pastureland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots, few medium pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick.)
A2--6 to 16 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium and coarse granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common fine pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick.)
ABk--16 to 21 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common fine and medium pores; violently effervescent; 38 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)
Bk1--21 to 36 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weak discontinuous cementation; few fine roots; few fine pores; violently effervescent; 41 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick.)
Bk2--36 to 48 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weak discontinuous cementation; many fine roots; few fine pores; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist masses of iron accumulation; violently effervescent; 36 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick.)
C--48 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Davis County, Utah; about 2 miles northwest of Centerville and east of dual Interstate 15/Highway 91; approximately 300 feet north and 400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 6, T. 2 N., R. 1 E.; USGS Farmington 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 55 minutes 49 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 53 minutes 25 seconds west longitude, NAD83; UTM zone 12N 425035E, 4531390N, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soils are usually moist in some part of the moisture control section for more than one-half of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F.; They are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 90 consecutive days during the summer months; Xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 49 to 54 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 13 to 22 inches.
Depth to calcic horizon - 13 to 16 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 10 to 18 percent.
A and ABk horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Values: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 10 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 30 percent.
Bk and C horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2. dry or moist.
Texture: Silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 40 percent; some pedons have subhorizons with slightly more than 40 percent.
Redoximorphic features: Some pedons have few fine faint to common medium prominent masses of iron accumulation.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beckstrand, Honeylake, Maplecreek, and Syracuse series.
Beckstrand and Honeylake soils have an aridic moisture regime. Maplecreek and Syracuse soils are dominated by texture of fine sandy loam, may have texture of loamy fine sand in the lower part of the particle-size control section, and do not have hue of 2.5Y.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ironton soils are on low lake terraces and flood plains. These soils formed in alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from mixed rocks that are dominantly quartzite, gneiss, and limestone. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,750 feet. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 130 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cudahy, Draper, Logan, Roshe Springs, Sunset, and Woods Cross soils. Cudahy soils have a petrocalcic horizon. Draper, Sunset and Woods Cross soils lack calcic horizons. Logan and Roshe Springs soils contain more than 18 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; low or medium surface runoff; moderate permeability (moderately high or high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 2 and 3 feet (moderately deep free water occurrence class) between April and September. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. These soils are susceptible to rare flooding for very brief periods year-round.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ironton soils are used for pastureland, hayland, irrigated cropland, and urban development. Drained areas are used for growing alfalfa, sugar beets, truck crops, small grains and improved pasture. The vegetation is mainly inland saltgrass, foxtail, alkali sacaton, and Kentucky bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral Utah. These soils are not extensive with about 5,300 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Davis County (Davis-Weber Area), Utah, 1967.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 21 inches (A1, A2, and ABk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 16 to 48 inches (ABk, Bk1, and Bk2 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 24 and 36 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (ABk and Bk1 horizons and parts of the A2 and Bk2 horizons).
The oxyaquic subgroup placement is tentative. This series has not been examined in the field since 1965 and additional field work is needed to determine the presence of redoximorphic features and the limits of the seasonal high water table.
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 138-139, Table 11 of the Soil Survey of Davis-Weber Area, Utah. The pH values in the typical pedon are from saturated paste.