LOCATION MURPHY UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calcixerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Clay loam - on a 18 percent slightly convex, north facing slope in rangeland. (When described the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and common medium roots; about 14 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
A12--3 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
B2--10 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) heavy clay loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; moderately calcareous, carbonate disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C1ca--16 to 30 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) heavy clay loam, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; many cicada casts; strongly calcareous, carbonate veined and in soft masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 17 inches thick)
C2ca--30 to 44 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores, strongly calcareous, carbonate in veins and soft masses on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 32 inches thick)
C3--44 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) heavy clay loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous, carbonate in veins on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Rich County, Utah; about 2.3 miles east and 1.7 miles south of Neponset Reservoir; 2,350 feet south and 1,000 feet east of the NW corner of section 8, T. 7 N., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 10 to 20 inches thick. Gravel ranges from 0 to 10 percent in control section. The mean annual soil temperature is 38 to 40 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. The moisture control section is moist in all parts for 45 or more consecutive days in the 4 months that follow the winter solstice, and are dry for 45 or more consecutive days within the 4 months that follow the summer solstice in 6 out of 10 years.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It is noncalcareous to strongly calcareous.
The B horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. It is silty clay loam or clay loam and averages 35 to 39 percent clay. This horizon ranges from moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, cr 7.5YR, value of 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It commonly is heavy clay loam or clay and less commonly silty clay or silty clay loam. Clay ranges from 35 to 45 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Richville and Bluffdale series in other families. Richville soils have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Bluffdale soils have a mesic temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Murphy soils are on uplands at elevations of 6,700 to 7,300 feet. The soils formed in colluvium derived dominantly from shale. Slope is 4 to 30 percent. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches and the mean annual temperature is 36 to 38 degrees F. Freeze-free season is 55 to 65 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alhark, Larial, Zagg and Zegro soils. Alhark and Lariat soils have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are on slightly higher landscape positions. Zagg and Zegro soils do not have a calcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium or rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Murphy soils are used for rangeland. The native vegetation is bitterbrush, Indian ricegrass, big sagebrush, and Nevada bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Murphy soils are nf moderate extent in northeastern Utah.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rich County, Utah, 1980.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state 4/80.