LOCATION MOLEN                   UT

Established Series
Rev. LDS/RJL/JWB
03/2011

MOLEN SERIES

The Molen series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian sands and colluvium or slope alluvium over residuum derived from interbedded shale and sandstone. Molen soils are on cuestas, structural benches, and escarpments on edges of mesas. Slopes range from 2 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 9.5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Molen fine sandy loam, on a west facing, convex, 3 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 1905 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on November 29, 2000 the soil was dry from 0 to 3 cm and moist from 3 to 46 cm. The surface is covered by 2 percent angular gravel and 2 percent channers.

A--0 to 8 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3), fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; weak thin platy parting to weak fine granular structure, and weak thin platy structure; very friable, soft, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots and few coarse roots; few fine tubular and many very fine interstitial and many very fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 19 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium, fine and very fine roots and few coarse roots; few fine tubular and many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

Bk--19 to 31 centimeters; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; 60 percent sand; 24 percent silt; 16 percent clay; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular, and few coarse tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are segregated in common fine thread shaped masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 30 cm thick)

2Bk1--31 to 43 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/4), loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; 40 percent sand; 36 percent silt; 24 percent clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure, and weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common fine vesicular and common very fine, fine and medium tubular and few coarse tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent (20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are segregated in common fine to coarse thread shaped masses and 40 percent distinct coats on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

2Bk2--43 to 54 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3), loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; 40 percent sand; 37 percent silt; 23 percent clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine vesicular and common very fine and medium tubular and few coarse tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), and segregated in common fine thread shaped masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

2BCky--54 to 79 centimeters; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3), channery sandy clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), moist; 60 percent sand; 17 percent silt; 23 percent clay; weak fine angular blocky structure, and weak medium angular blocky structure, and weak thin platy structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine vesicular and interstitial and few very fine and fine tubular pores; 20 percent channers and 20 percent parachanners; strongly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are segregated in common fine thread and irregular shaped masses, and in 40 percent distinct coats on rock fragments; common fine irregular shaped gypsum masses (1 percent gypsum); strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

R--79 to 89 centimeters; sandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah; about 10.5 kilometers (6.5 miles) south of Emery; located about 600 feet east and 1,400 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 9, T. 23 S., R. 6 E.; Walker Flat USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 49 minutes 34 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees 15 minutes 34 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that peaks from July to October and falls evenly throughout the remainder of the year; aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.9 to 12.2 degrees C
Depth to lithic contact: 51 to 102 cm to sandstone bedrock
Depth to paralithic contact (when present): 51 to 102 cm to weathered sandstone and/or shale
Depth to calcic horizon: 15 to 36 cm
Thickness of the calcic horizon: 15 to 86 cm

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 5 to 35 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam, very stony loam
Clay content: 6 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 60 percent; dominantly gravels, cobbles, and stones; few boulders
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Thickness: less than 6 inches
Texture: loam, stony loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent; gravels, cobbles, and stones
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Bk, BCk and 2Bk horizon(s):
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: channery loam, loam, gravelly clay loam, gravelly loam, fine sandy loam, stony loam, clay loam
Clay content: 12 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent; gravels, stones and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 45 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 5
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

2BCky horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: channery loam, channery sandy clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent; channers
Pararock fragments: 0 to 30 percent parachanners
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 4
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abra, Bighams, Bowdish, Copeman, Creel, Darvey, Hernandez, Honlu, Kimera, Numa, Peachsprings and Xenmack series. Abra, Darvey, Copeman, Hernandez, Honlu, Kimera, Numa and Peachsprings soils are very deep. Bighams and Xenmack soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Bowdish soils have a cambic horizon and Bk horizons with colors that include hues redder than 10YR. Creel soils have mean annual soil temperatures greater than 52 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian sands and/or colluvium or slope alluvium over residuum derived from sandstone and shale
Landform: cuestas, structural benches, or escarpments on edges of mesas
Slopes: 2 to 70 percent
Elevation: 1,463 to 2,073 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 11.7 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 23 to 30 cm
Precipitation pattern: peak periods from July to October and has even distribution throughout the remainder of the year
Frost-free period: 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cedar Mountain, Gerst, Hernandez, Lazear and Pacon series. The Cedar Mountain and Gerst soils are shallow to shale and are on shale hills. The Lazear and Pacon soils are shallow to sandstone and are in more convex positions on structural benches. The Hernandez soils are very deep and are in more concave positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained, medium to high runoff, moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists mainly of blue grama, galleta, sand dropseed, Indian ricegrass, shadscale, rabbitbrush, spiny horsebrush, fourwing saltbrush, prickleypear and black greasewood. These soils are correlated to semidesert ecological sites in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Utah; LRR D, MLRA 34B; small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Emery County, Utah, Emery soil survey area, 2011. The name is taken from a nearby geographic location.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 79 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 79 cm. (Bk, 2Bk1, 2Bk2, and 2BCky horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 8 cm. (A horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 19 to 54 cm. (Bk, 2Bk1, and 2Bk2 horizons)
Lithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 79 cm. (R horizon)
Lithologic discontinuity: At the 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.