LOCATION KANOSH UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Xeric Calcigypsids
TYPICAL PEDON: Kanosh loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; strong effervescence (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bk--4 to 8 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strong effervescence (22 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), secondary carbonates are disseminated in the matrix and segregated in few masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bky1--8 to 20 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strong effervescence (21 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates and gypsum are disseminated in the matrix and segregated in few masses; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Bky2--20 to 34 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; common fine distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strong effervescence (27 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), secondary carbonates and gypsum are disseminated in the matrix and segregated in few masses; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bky3--34 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; soft and very friable; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strong effervescence (30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), secondary carbonates and gypsum are disseminated in the matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Tooele County, Utah; in the Tooele Valley about 1 mile west of Stansbury Park; approximately 2,600 feet south and 20 feet west of the northeast corner of section 19, T. 2 S., R. 4 W.; USGS Mills Junction 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 40 degrees 37 minutes 51 seconds north latitude and 112 degrees 19 minutes 56 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 55 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 70 to 73 degrees F.
Depth to carbonate and gypsum accumulation - 4 to 20 inches.
Redoximorphic features - Redox concentrations as masses of iron accumulation occur at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 40 percent.
Gypsum content - 5 to 20 percent.
Salinity- Slightly saline to strongly saline.
Reaction - Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Bky horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam; gypsiferous modifiers apply when gypsum content is 15 to 20 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kanosh soils are on low lake terraces, deltas, and flood plains. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits and alluvium derived from mixed sedimentary and igneous rocks. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,800 feet. The climate is semiarid and the mean annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 54 degrees F. and the frost-free period is 115 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Logan, Saltair, Woodrow, and Yenrab soils. Logan and Woodrow soils are fine-silty and do not have gypsic horizons. Saltair soils are fine-silty and have salic horizons. Yenrab soils are sandy and do not have diagnostic subsurface horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very low or low surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability (high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 1.5 and 3.5 feet (shallow to deep free water occurrence classes) between March and October. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. For short periods during wet years the saturation may be at or near the soil surface.
USE AND VEGETATION: Kanosh soils are used for rangeland. The native vegetation is alkali sacaton, inland saltgrass, alkali bluegrass, basin wildrye, tufted hairgrass, and black greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Millard County (East Millard Area), Utah, 1949.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 4 inches (A horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 4 to 60 inches (Bk, Bky1, Bky2, and Bky3 horizons).
Gypsic horizon - The zone from 8 to 60 inches (Bky1, Bky2, and Bky3 horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 18 and 42 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the Bky1, Bky2, and Bky3 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (Bky2 horizon and parts of the Bky1 and Bky3 horizons).
The active cation exchange activity class was added to the taxonomic classification in December 2002 based on soil property data.
The taxonomic placement in the Aridisol order needs additional study. There is not enough salt accumulation to meet the salic horizon requirement. It needs to be determined if a moisture control section of about 8 to 24 inches would have an aridic moisture regime with the seasonal water table from 18 to 42 inches.
The taxonomic classification was changed from Aquic Calciorthids to Xeric Calcigypsids in September 1994.
The type location was moved from Millard County to Tooele County in 1990 to better represent the series.