LOCATION NALCASE                 UT+AZ

Established Series
Rev. KDS
10/2014

NALCASE SERIES

The Nalcase series consists of very shallow and shallow, somewhat excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils that formed in eolian sand, alluvium and residuum derived from Navajo sandstone. These soils are on sand sheets and dunes on structural benches, buttes, and mesas with slopes of 0 to 30 percent. Average annual precipitation is 11 inches (279 mm) and the mean annual air temperature is about 50 degrees F (10.0 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, mesic Lithic Torripsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Nalcase fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
C1--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; noneffervescence; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches 5 to 15 cm thick)

C2--4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; noneffervescence; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 16 inches or 8 to 41 cm thick)

R--8 inches (20 cm); Navajo Formation sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: Garfield County, Utah; Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; about 1 miles south of the confluence of the Calf Creek and the Escalante River; Calf Creek Quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 46 minutes 3.53 seconds North and longitude 111 degrees 25 minutes 30.46 seconds West, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Ustic aridic soil moisture regime

Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 61 degrees F (8.3 to 16.1 degrees C).

Depth to bedrock: 4 to 20 inches

Clay content: 0 to 10 percent

C1 horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

C2 horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 or 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Textures: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand
Rock fragments: 5 to 20 percent gravel
Other features: Some pedons have thin Cr horizons formed in residuum from Navajo sandstone.

COMPETING SERIES: The Suzipon (UT) series is a competing series. Suzipon soils are in a typic aridic moisture regime.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nalcase soils are on sandsheets and dunes on structural benches, buttes, and mesas at elevations of 4,500 to 7,500 feet (1372 to 2286 meters). Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent. These soils formed in eolian sand, alluvium, and residuum derived from derived from Navajo sandstone. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 14 inches (229 to 356 mm). The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 56 degrees F (7.2 to 13.3 degrees C). The frost-free period is 120 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Mespun soil. Mespun soils are very deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, very low runoff; rapid permeability above the bedrock.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. Potential native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, Cutler Mormon tea, sand sagebrush, Bigelow sagebrush, Harvard oak, shrub live oak, spike dropseed, mesa dropseed, and sand dropseed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-Central Utah and northern Arizona. This soil series is moderately extensive. MLRA 35

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Soil Survey, Garfield County, Utah, 2004. The name "Nalcase" is a derivative of Escalante.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon area:
Particle size control section- the zone from 0 to 8 inches (0 to 20 cm) (C horizons)
Lithic contact - the boundary with hard Navajo sandstone at about 8 inches (20 cm) (R layer)
Silicious mineralogy - soils formed directly from Navajo sandstone contains more than 90 percent silica minerals (dominantly quartz).

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 12th Edition, 2014

Updates and revisions for the correlation of Navajo Mountain Area (AZ711), June 24, 2008, CEM
Updated and revised for the correlation of Canyonlands National Park (UT688), October 2009, WWJ
Update and revisions for the correlation of Little Colorado River Area (AZ707), Sept. 2011, CEM
Updated and revisions for the correlation of Capitol Reef National Park, January 2013, WWJ
Update and revisions for the correlation of SDJR - MLRA 35 - Rock outcrop-Mathis-Nalcase complex, 10 to 50 percent slope, Sept 2014, LJG2

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.