LOCATION MONOX UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Monox gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is covered with 15 percent gravel.
A--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure parting to single grain; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, many fine and very fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
BA--2 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, many fine and very fine roots; few medium, many fine and very fine pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common medium, fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Btk--18 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary carbonates are disseminated in the matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bkq--24 to 33 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; discontinuous weak cementation and brittleness by secondary silica and carbonates; few fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, secondary carbonates are disseminated in the matrix; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 13 inches thick)
2C--33 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very gravelly coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common coarse, medium, and fine pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 3.5 miles south of Pipeline Spring trough in Hamlin Valley; about 900 feet west and 900 feet north of the center of section 9, T. 32 S., R. 18 W; USGS Bannion Spring 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 37 degrees 56 minutes 58 seconds north latitude and 113 degrees 52 minutes 22 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry; moist in winter and spring; dry June through October; the soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 20 to 25 inches.
Depth to horizon with firm, brittle matrix - 23 to 30 inches.
Depth to strongly contrasting sandy-skeletal material - 30 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent; Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly gravel.
A horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
BA horizon (when present) - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam or sandy clay loam.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bt horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Btk horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.
Bkq horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 25 percent.
2C horizon - Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 5, dry or moist.
Texture: Very gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly coarse sand, or very gravelly loamy fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Buster series. Buster soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the strongly contrasting substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monox soils are on fan remnants. These soils formed in alluvium over lacustrine sediments derived dominantly from igneous rocks. Slopes are 2 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 6,100 to 6,600 feet. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches, mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Deerlodge soil. Deerlodge soils have duripans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Monox soils are used for rangeland. Important plants are bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Utah. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County, Utah, 1997; Iron-Washington Area Soil Survey.
REMARKS: This revision of July 2002 updates the taxonomic class from Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Calciargids. The cation exchange activity class is estimated based on NASIS property data.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to 2 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon- The zone from 6 to 24 inches (Bt and Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 18 to 33 inches (Btk and Bkq horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 24 to 33 inches (Bkq horizon).
Major lithologic discontinuity - The abrupt change to sandy-skeletal material at 33 inches (2C horizon).
A strongly contrasting particle-size class is within a depth of 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 6 to 40 inches (Bt, Btk, and Bkq horizons and part of the 2C horizon).