LOCATION MARSELL UT
Established Series
REV: JFA/MEO/SJJ
01/2023
MARSELL SERIES
The Marsell series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in glacial material weathered from shale and some quartzite and sandstone. Marsell soils are on ground moraines, lateral moraines and on glacial till and have slopes of 20 to 60 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 35 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Dystrocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Marsell gravelly fine sandy loam--woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 10 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, pink (5YR 7/3) dry, weak medium granular structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky; few fine and coarse and common medium roots; many fine pores; 35 percent gravel and cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
E--10 to 22 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) very gravelly loamy sand, pink (5YR 7/3) dry; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, few fine and coarse and common medium roots; 40 percent gravel and cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--22 to 33 inches; weak red (2.5YR 4/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam, pale red (2.5YR 6/2) dry; streaks of lighter colors and gray coatings; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly plastic; few thin clay films on peds and rock fragments; few fine roots; few medium pores; 50 percent gravel and cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (l0 to 24 inches thick)
Bt2--33 to 60 inches; weak red (2.5YR 4/2) extremely stony sandy loam, weak red (2.5YR 5/2) dry, weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, slightly firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few clay films on peds and rock fragments; few fine, medium and coarse roots; 70 percent gravel, cobbles and stones; extremely acid (pH 4.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Summit County, Utah; on upper end of logging road east of Gardner Fork; southwest l/4 northwest l/4 northwest l/4 of sec. 11, T. 1 S., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Some pedons have a thin organic layer at the surface. The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches ranges from 27 to 42 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature ranges from 50 to 57 degrees F. The particle-size control section averages 35 to 75 percent rock fragments.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 through 4.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is very gravelly loamy sand, or very gravelly sandy loam, and has 35 to 60 percent gravel and cobbles.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR or 2.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 through 4. It is extremely stony sandy loam but ranges to extremely stony or very cobbly loamy sand, very gravelly fine sandy loam or cobbly sandy clay loam in individual layers. Rock fragments range from 20 to 60 percent by volume in the upper 10 to 24 inches and 50 to 80 percent in the lower part. Base saturation is less than 50 percent. This horizon does not have the required clay increase to qualify for an argillic horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Afley,
Blacksnag,
Bracos,
Jeru,
Klutch, and
Leighcan series.
Afley,
Bracos, and
Klutch soils have a lithic contact.
Blacksnag,
Jeru, and
Leighcan soils have hues yellower than 5YR in the Bw horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Marsell soils are on strongly undulating ground moraines, sloping lateral moraines and on glacial till at elevations of 8,500 to 10,500 feet. Slopes are 20 to 60 percent. These soils formed in material derived from shale, and some quartzite and sandstone. The mean annual temperature is 35 to 42 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 52 to 55 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 35 to 42 inches. The freeze-free period is 20 to 40 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Mirror Lake soils. Mirror Lake soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland, wildlife habitat and water supply. Potential vegetation is Engelmann spruce and lodgepole pine with an understory of huckleberry, sedges and moss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Utah. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Summit County, Utah, l976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon: from 0 to 10 inches (A horizon)
Albic horizon: from 10 to 22 inches (E horizon)
Cambic horizon: from 22 to 60 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches (E, Bt1, and part of Bt2 horizons)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.