LOCATION MAUGHAN UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Pachic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Maughan silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated).
A1--0 to 8 inches; very dark brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, black
(10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly plastic; fine, medium and large roots; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
A2--8 to 25 inches; very dark grayish brown (l0YR 3/2) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium and few large roots; few fine interstitial pores; l0 percent gravel, slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (14 to 22 inches thick)
E--25 to 32 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) gravelly silt loam,
dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blockly structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; many fine and medium interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--32 to 38 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; common fine and medium interstitial pores; common thin continuous clay films in pores; 30 percent gravel and cobbles; medium acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 18 inches thick)
Bt2--38 to 50 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and cobbles; common moderately thick continuous clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to l3 inches thick)
Bt3--50 to 66 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; 30 percent weathering limestone cobbles; common thin clay films in pores and on some faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Cache County, Utah; 2 miles south and l mile west of the Sterling crossroads; 500 feet north and l,200 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 22, T. 10 N., R. 1 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 20 to 42 inches thick. The combined thickness of the A, E, and B horizons range from 50 to 70 inches or more. Cobbles and gravel average 5 to 15 percent in the A horizon and 10 to 35 percent in the E and B horizons. The mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F, and the mean summer temperature at 20 inches is 60 to 63 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, values of 2 or 3 dry, chroma of 1 or 1.5 moist and 1 or 2 dry. It is medium acid to neutral.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 to 4. It is gravelly silt loam or gravelly loam. It is medium acid to slightly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR, to 2.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 3 to 6. It is clay, clay loam, cobbly clay and cobbly silty clay, or cobbly clay loam with 35 to 50 percent clay. It is medium acid to slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There presently are no competing series in the family. Similar soils are the Elzinga, Flygare, LaPlatta, Lucky Star, Scave, and Smarts series. Elzinga soils have albic horizons that tongue into very cobbly clay loam argillic horizons having more than 35 percent coarse fragments. Flygare soils have cryic temperature regimes. LaPlatta soils lack albic horizons and have horizons of carbonate accumulation. Lucky Star and Scave soils have mollic epipedons less than l6 inches thick and cryic temperature regimes. Smarts soils have mollic epipedons with chroma of 2 or more and lack albic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Maugham soils are at elevations of 5,100 to 8,750 feet on very steep, north- and northeast- facing mountainsides, gently sloping mesas and rolling plains with gradients of 0 to 60 percent. The soils formed in colluvium from interbedded sandstone and limestone. The climate is moist subhumid, with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 20 to 26 inches, mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F, and mean summer temperature is 60 to 65 degrees. The freeze-free period is 80 to l20 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Agassiz, Datwyler and Sheep Creek soils and the competing Elzinga soils. Agassiz, Datwyler and Sheep Creek soils have skeletal particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and watershed. The potential vegetation is Gamble oak, bigtooth maple, bluebunch wheatgrass, bearded wheatgrass, basin wildrye and mountain snowberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Utah and western Colorado. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache Area, Utah, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon -the zone from the surface to 25 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon -the zone from 32 to 66 inches ( Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).
Pale feature -the upper boundary of the argillic horizon is deeper than 24 inches.
Pachic feature -the mollic epipedon is thicker than 20 inches.