LOCATION MUD SPRINGS UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cobbly coarse sandy loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted. )
All--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium platy structure that breaks to weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A12--6 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) cobbly coarse sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
B21--10 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) crushed moist, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) surfaces of peds moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine, medium, and large roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; some bridges and thin clay coatings on sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6 .4); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
B22--17 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) crushed moist, dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) surfaces of peds moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine, medium and large roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; some thin bridges and clay coatings on sand grains; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
R--25 inches; granite bedrock (partially weathered).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; about 3/4 mile northwest of Mud Springs in the Mineral Mountain range; sec. 30, T.28S., R.8W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is 20 to 40 inches thick over bedrock. These soils are moist in some parts of the moisture control section more than 50 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F., but are continually dry for 50 to 70 consecutive days during the summer months in more than 7 out of 10 years. The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches is 43 to 45 degrees F., the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 60 to 61 degrees F.
The A1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak thin or medium platy to weak fine granular structure. This horizon is soft or slightly hard, friable or very friable,nonsticky or slightly sticky, and nonplastic or slightly plastic. it is slightly acid or neutral.
The B2 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6 dry and 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. Value darker than 3.5 moist, 5.5 dry with chroma of 3 or less extends to a depth of 12 to 18 inches. The B2 horizon is coarse sandy loam to light loam with 70 to 60 percent cobbles in individual subhorizons and averaging 40 percent in the entire B horizon. It is weak or moderate, fine or medium subangular or angular blocky structure. This horizon is hard or very hard, and friable or firm. It is slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bradshaw, Fuego (T), and St. Marys series. Bradshaw and St. Marys soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Fuego soils have soft B2 horizons. St. Marys soils have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR in the B2 horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mud springs soils are on steep slopes at elevations of 7,000 to 7,800 feet. Slope gradients are 30 to 40 percent. The soils formed in granitic residuum, 20 to 40 inches deep over granite bedrock. The climate is moist subhumid. Mean annual temperature is 41 to 44 degrees F., mean summer temperature is 61 to 62 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches, distributed fairly uniformly throughout the year except June which is drier. The frost-free period is 65 to 100 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bearskin and Cowers soils and granite rock outcrops. Cowers soils are more than 40 inches deep to bedrock. Bearskin soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 inches or less.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; rapid runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for watershed, wildlife, and summer grazing by livestock. The present vegetation is curlleaf mountain mahogany, juniper, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils occur in the Mineral Mountain area of Beaver County and possibly in other granitic areas of Utah, This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beaver County, Utah, 1972.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified as Chestnut soils.
OSED scanned by NSSQA. Last revised by state 9/72.
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.