LOCATION JUNCTION                UT

Established Series
Rev. RSJ/MJD/WWJ
09/2015

JUNCTION SERIES

The Junction series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium from sandstone and shale. The Junction soils are on alluvial fans, floodplains, and desert valleys. Slope ranges from 1 to 5 percent. The mean annual air temperature is about 61 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 9 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Typic Torrifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Junction fine sandy loam rangeland (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 2 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; single grained; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and few medium roots; few very fine pores; noncalcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

C1--2 to 9 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated, slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick).

C2--9 to 21 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)

Cy1--21 to 32 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; few fine white gypsum crystals; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

Cy2--32 to 60 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; many fine white gypsum crystals less than 1 mm in size; stratified with light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) shale fragments less than 1 inch in size; strongly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Utah; about 4 1/2 miles south of Washington; in the NE quarter of the NW quarter of sec. 12, T. 43 S., R.l5 W; Washington Dome Quadrangle; lat. 37 degrees 3 minutes 42 seconds N. and long. 113 degrees 29 minutes 21 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Intermittently moist in the soil moisture control section during July-August and December-January. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.

Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 67 degrees F.

Mean summer soil temperature: 77 to 82 degrees F.

A horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 6
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: dominantly fine sandy loam but in places is marginal to loamy fine sand
Effervescence: noncalcareous to slightly effervescent

C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 through 8
Texture: stratified and ranges from fine sandy loam to loamy fine sand, averaging fine sandy loam
Gypsum: few to many, fine to medium sized crystals, less than 5 mm. in diameter of gypsum at depths beginning below 6 to 21 inches
Effervescence: slightly to strongly effervescent
Rock fragments: In some pedons, the profile contains 10 to 15 percent gravel in thin strata

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Anthony, Excelsior, Gila, Grabe , , , Rucker, and Tobler series. Potential competitors that do not yet have CEA class assigned are the Ireteba, Popson, and Victorville series. Excelsior, Grabe, Rucker and Tobler soils lack crystals of gypsum. Anthony, Gila, Ireteba, Popson and Victorville soils have dominant hue of 10YR or 7.5YR.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Junction soils are on alluvial fans, flood plains and desert valleys at elevations of 2,700 to 3,400 feet. The slopes range from 1 to 5 percent, commonly slightly undulating and in places slightly hummocky The mean annual temperature is 57 to 65 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 80 to 84 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches and the frost-free season ranges from 190 to 195 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the St. George and Leeds soils. Leeds and St. George soils have stratified loam, silt loam and sandy clay loam control sections and Leeds soils lack gypsum crystals in the profile.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used dominantly for range, some areas are used for irrigated small grains, alfalfa and sugar beet seed. The principal native plants are creosotebush, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, galleta and cactus.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Washington County, Utah. This soil occurs in LRR-D,MLRA 30. This series is inextensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: PHOENIX, ARIZONA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: The Virgin River Valley Area; Utah and Arizona, 1937.

REMARKS: The series was inactive from 1963 to 1972.

Diagnostic horizons and features found in this pedon are

Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon).

This series should be reviewed in regard to the existence of a gypsic horizon.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999.

Responsibility for this series was transferred from Davis to Phoenix 9/2015. The last revision to the series was 6/2005. ET

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.