LOCATION MOWEBA UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Moweba gravelly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
A2--5 to 16 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 19 inches thick)
Bw1--16 to 30 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak coarse granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; 25 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bw2--30 to 45 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine pores; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); diffuse smooth boundary. (6 to 22 inches thick)
Bw3--45 to 65 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Morgan County, Utah; about 3 miles north and 6 miles east of Croydon; 2,000 feet west and 200 feet north of southeast corner of sec. 4, T. 4 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 20 to 35 inches thick. Combined thickness of the A and Bw horizons ranges from 30 to more than 60 inches. Texture in the particle-size control section (10 to 40 inches) is gravelly or very gravelly loam, gravelly or very gravelly silt loam, or cobbly loam, that averages 35 to 60 percent rock fragments. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature ranges from 59 to 69 degrees F. The soils are usually moist when the soil temperature is more than 41 degrees F., but are dry for 50 to 80 consecutive days during the summer. Rock fragments range from 20 to 35 percent in the A horizon and from 35 to 70 percent in the Bw horizon. The base saturation is 75 percent or less in some parts or all of the upper 30 inches.
The A horzion has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist. This horizon range from medium acid to neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 8 dry, and moist. It ranges from gravelly loam or very gravelly loam to cobbly loam, very cobbly loam, or very gravelly silt loam. This horizon ranges from medium acid to neutral, and is 15 to 50 inches thick.
The C horizon where present has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 4 to 6 dry and moist. It ranges from very gravelly fine sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam, or cobbly sandy loam to very gravelly loamy fine sand, very gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly loam. This horizon is medium acid to mildly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buckcreek, Doodlelink, Gimlett (T), Lamondi, Piersonte, Scoap and Umatilla series. Buckcreek soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Doodlelink and Piersonte soils have hue of 10YR throughout. Lamondi soils have hue of 10YR in the upper part of the cambic horizon and no redder than 7.5YR hue in any part. Gimlett (T) and Scoap soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section. Umatilla soils have an O horizon and have a discontinuity between the A and B horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moweba soils are at elevations of 5,500 to 8,000 feet. They occur on mountainsides and fan terraces on all aspects, but dominantly north and east exposures. Slopes range from 1 to 50 percent. These soils formed in residuum and local alluvium weathered from sandstone and quartzite conglomerate. The climate is moist subhumid, and the average annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 25 inches. The mean annual temperature is 36 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer temperature is 55 to 59 degrees F., and the freeze-free period ranges from 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Charcol, Lucky Star, St. Mary's, and Yeates Hollow soils. Charcol soils have E horizons, and have summer soil temperature less than 59 degrees F. Lucky Star soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick, have E horizons, and summer soil temperture less than 59 degrees F. St. Mary's soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick. Yeates Hollow soils have clayey-skeletal argillic horizons, and the mollic epipedon is less than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for wildlife habitat, watershed and range. The present native vegetation is serviceberry, snowberry, oakbrush, big sagebrush, chokecherry, bluebunch wheatgrass, mountain bromegrass and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur in northern Utah. This series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morgan Area, Morgan County, Utah, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 30 inches. (A1, A2, Bw1 horizons)
Ultic Feature - the soil has a base saturation of 75 percent or less within 30 inches of the surface.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.