LOCATION MCCARTY                 UT

Established Series
Rev. LDS/CSW/JWB
04/2011

MCCARTY SERIES

The McCarty series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in pedisediments and/or slope alluvium over residuum derived from gypsiferous sandstone and shale. McCarty soils are on pediments and small alluvial fans. Slopes range from 3 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Ustic Calcigypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: McCarty gravelly fine sandy loam, on an east-southeast facing, convex, 22 percent slope in a Utah juniper and pinyon pine stand at an elevation of 1,612 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on September 26, 1994 the soil was dry. The surface is covered by 2 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles and 20 percent gravel.

A--0 to 13 cm; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; 2 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent (9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 14 cm thick)

Bw--13 to 27 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 3 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 14 cm thick)

Bky--27 to 51 cm; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular and interstitial pores; few very fine gypsum crystals (3 percent gypsum); 5 percent cobbles, 25 percent gravel; violently effervescent (18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent) carbonate coats on bottom surfaces of rock fragments, common threadlike carbonate masses, carbonates are finely disseminated in matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 45 cm thick)

2Bky--51 to 82 cm; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; many gypsum crystals on bottom surfaces of rock fragments, many gypsum crystals in matrix (14 percent gypsum); 1 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonate coats on bottom surfaces of rock fragments, common threadlike carbonate masses, carbonates are finely disseminated in matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)

2BCy--82 to 109 cm; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very parachannery clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky and rock structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common coarse, medium, fine and very fine roots; many very fine interstitial and tubular pores; common gypsum nests and crystals (10 percent gypsum); 5 percent channers, 45 percent parachanners; slightly effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (20 to 40 cm thick)

2Cr--109 to 134 cm; weathered reddish brown (2.5YR 4/3) shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 30 miles east of Ferron, in Red Canyon near the San Rafael river; located about 400 feet south and 1,900 feet west of the NE corner of sec. 29, T. 20 S., R. 12 E.; Devils Hole USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 3 minutes 31 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 35 minutes 30 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on Ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C
Depth to paralithic contact: 102 to 152 cm to weathered shale
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 30 cm
Depth to gypsum accumulations: 20 to 75 cm
Depth to gypsic horizon: 30 to 75 cm
Depth to lithologic discontinuity: 50 to 110 cm
Thickness of the ochric epipedon: 7 to 14 cm
Thickness of the calcic horizon: 15 to 32 cm
Thickness of the gypsic horizon: 50 to 90 cm

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Sand content: 30 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content: 15 to 35 percent cobbles, channers and gravel
Gypsum content, less than 20 mm fraction: 5 to 15 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam
Clay content: 14 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent total; 0 to 3 percent stones, 0 to 15 percent cobbles and 10 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: loam, gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 10 to 35 percent total; 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bky or Bk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent total; 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline

2Bky horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 32 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent total; 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 5 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 20 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 5 to 15 percent
SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

2BCy or 2By horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: very parachannery clay loam, channery loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock Fragments: 5 to 35 percent channers
Pararock fragments: 0 to 60 percent parachanners
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 2 to 8
Gypsum: 5 to 15 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in this family. Soils in similar families include the Brokenhorn, Grassytrail (T), Humbug, Hyshot, Jornaham and Odome series. Brokenhorn and Hyshot soils have a fine particle-size class and smectitic mineralogy. Grassytrail and Jornaham soils have a coarse-loamy particle size class and are very deep. Humbug soils have gypsic mineralogy. Odome soils have a typic aridic soil moisture regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous pedisediment and slope alluvium derived from sandstone and shale over gypsiferous residuum weathered from shale and sandstone
Landform: pediments and small alluvial fans
Slopes: 3 to 25 percent
Elevation: 1,585 to 2,073 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 23 to 31 cm
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June.
Frost-free period: 120 to 150 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Humbug, Mussentuchit, Rizno, Sinbad and Skos series. Humbug and Mussentuchit soils are on adjacent dissected structural benches and gypsiferous shale hills in treeless areas. Rizno, Sinbad and Skos soils occur upslope of the McCarty soils. The Rizno and Skos soils are shallow to sandstone bedrock and are on structural benches. The Sinbad soils are shallow to shale and are on gypsiferous shale hills.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low runoff, moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Grazing and wildlife habitat. Native plants are Mormon tea, shadscale, Indian ricegrass, Utah juniper, pinyon pine, blue grama and galleta. Utah correlates this soil to Semidesert Gypsum (Juniper/Pinyon) R034BY208UT ecological site.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Utah, Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus; LRR D, MLRA 34B; small extent. About 670 hectares (1,600 acres) mapped in Emery County.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Emery County, Emery Area, Utah, 2011, Parts of Emery, Carbon, Grand and Sevier Counties soil survey area. The name McCarty comes from a canyon in the soil survey area.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 134 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (Bky, 2Bky and 2BCy horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 13 cm. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 27 to 51 cm. (Bky horizon)
Gypsic horizon: The zone from 51 to 109 cm. (2Bky and 2BCy horizons)
Paralithic contact: The contact with shale at 109 cm. (2Cr horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: The contact with gypsiferous shale residuum at 51 cm. (upper boundary of the 2Bky horizon)

The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.

Taxonomic Version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.