LOCATION MANSELO UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Manselo loam on a 1 percent northeast facing slope - rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate thick platy structure parting to weak medium platy; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; few coarse, common fine and very fine pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bw--4 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, coarse common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bkq1--13 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm and brittle, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common medium, fine and few very fine roots; common fine and many very fine pores; moderately cemented by silica and carbonates in places; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, 19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bkq2--30 to 38 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately saline; moderately cemented by silica and carbonates in places; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bkq3--38 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm and brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine and many very fine pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately saline; strongly cemented by silica and carbonates in places; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in common fine flecks and filaments, 13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 8.7 miles southeast of Beryl, about 1,800 feet north and 2,550 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 22, T. 4 S., R 15 W. Latitude 37 degrees 49 minutes 43 seconds N. and longitude 113 degrees 31 minutes 04 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are dry for 50 to 60 percent of the time that the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 41 degrees F. They are usually dry in some part of the moisture control section for 55 to 70 days during the 120 days following the summer solstice. The moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 66 to 72 degrees F.
Depth to firm and brittle layers: 10 to 22 inches, the thickness of the A and B horizons.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent when mixed.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, and sandy loam; sandy clay loam subhorizons are in some pedons.
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Carbonates: 1 to 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
Bk or Bkq horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5Y.
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Salinity: Nonsaline to strongly saline.
SAR: 0 to 13.
Effervescence: Moderately effervescent or violently effervescent.
Carbonates: 15 to 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
Cementation: Some pedons contain up to 80 percent durinodes. Silica is the dominant cementing agent.
Other features: Weakly cemented to strongly cemented in discontinuous lenses; and matrix is brittle and firm when moist.
2C horizon (when present):
Hue: 10YR or 7.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 5 to 45 percent gravel.
Carbonates: 5 to 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Salinity: Nonsaline to moderately saline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Manselo soils are on fan remnants, inset fans, beach plains, and relict stream and lake terraces. Elevations range from 4,900 to 6,100 feet. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from basic and intermediate igneous rocks but partly from sedimentary rocks including limestone. The mean annual air temperature is about 45 to 50 F., and the average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. The average frost-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ashdown, Berent and Biblesprings soils. Ashdown and Berent soils do not have cemented calcic horizons. Berent soils also have a sandy particle-size control section. Biblesprings soils are in a coarse-loamy family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low runoff and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Some areas are used for irrigated alfalfa and small grain. The native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, yellowbrush, snakeweed, winterfat, Wyoming bug sagebrush, fourwing saltbush, galleta, cheatgrass and bottlebrush squirreltail. In saline-alkali areas, vegetation includes black greasewood and shadscale.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Utah. Manselo soils are of moderate extent. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County, Utah, Iron-Washington Area, 1997.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: The zone of carbonate accumulation from a depth of about 13 to 60 inches. (Bkq horizons)
Durinodic feature: The soil has a subhorizon that is greater than 15 cm thick within 1 m of the surface that is brittle and has a firm consistency when moist.
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006". The cation exchange activity class is an estimate based on NASIS data.