LOCATION MOTTO UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Motto extremely channery sandy loam on a 4 percent slope -- rangeland. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
The surface is covered by 65 percent channers.
E--0 to 1 inch; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely channery sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; 45 percent channers; slightly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Btnk--1 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium columnar structure that parts to strong medium and coarse subangular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common fine very fine roots; common fine and very fine random tubular pores; common discontinuous distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly effervescent (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as few fine veins and masses in the interior of peds; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); gradual irregular boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bk--8 to 13 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and very fine random tubular pores; 10 percent channers; slightly effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as few fine veins; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
2Cy--13 to 17 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very channery clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; strong thin platy rock structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 60 percent channers; common very fine geogenic gypsum flecks; very slightly effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
2R--17 inches; hard sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Duchesne County, Utah; about 8 miles south, and 1 mile east of Myton; 2,400 feet west and 1,400 feet north of the southeast corner of section 30, T. 8 S., R. 17 E., SLBM; Myton SE, Utah USGS quadrangle; 40 degrees, 5 minutes, 7 seconds north latitude and 110 degrees, 2 minutes, 53 seconds west longitude. NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly through the year with a slight increase in late summer and fall. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 65 to 70 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches to sandstone bedrock
Surface rock fragments: desert pavement of gravel and channers covers 40 to 80 percent of the surface.
Rock fragments in the series control section: 0 to 10 percent sandstone and shale channers
Particle-size control section: 27 to 35 percent clay
E horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: extremely channery sandy loam and very flaggy loam
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
SAR: 10 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
Btnk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
EC (mmhos/cm): 4 to 8
SAR: 30 to 60 percent
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam or silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers
EC (mmhos/cm): 4 to 8
SAR: 20 to 40 percent
2Cy horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: very channery clay loam or extremely channery clay loam
Fragments: 50 to 90 percent channers, about half slake in water
EC (mmhos/cm): 4 to 8
SAR: 10 to 25 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Shorthair series. Shorthair soils have soil temperatures of 54 to 56 degrees F. and 10 to 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium over residuum derived from shale and sandstone
Landform: hills, structural benches
Slopes: 2 to 25 percent
Elevation: 4,700 to 5,700 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 5 to 8 inches.
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 47 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 110 to 125 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cadrina, Casmos, Crustown, Muff, and Uffens soils. Cadrina, Casmos and Crustown soils lack natric horizons. Muff soils have bedrock between 20 and 40 inches. Uffens soils are very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very high runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat and recreation. The potential vegetation is dominantly mat saltbush, Castlevalley saltbush, shadscale, and galleta. This soil has been correlated to the Desert Alkali Bench (Castlevalley Saltbush) - 034XY101UT range site at the type location in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. LRR D, MLRA 34. These soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah, 1998. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 17 inches. (Bk and 2Cy horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 1 inch. (E horizon)
Natric horizon: The zone from 1 to 8 inches. (Btnk horizon)
Lithic contact: The contact at 17 inches with sandstone bedrock. (2R layer)
The surface texture modifier was determined following the guidelines outlined in the Utah document, "Procedures for Distributing Rock Fragments on the Surface Layer into the Upper 6 inches of Soil and Subsequent Naming of Map Units, April 1979."
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.
Additional data: partial reference sample from pedon 80P2817-2820 Uintah County, Utah 10/81.
The cation exchange activity class was determined from laboratory data.