LOCATION NEPHI UT
Established Series
Rev. DLT-RLM-MJD
07/2014
NEPHI SERIES
The Nephi series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in alluvium derived mainly from shale, limestone and sandstone. These soils are on alluvial fans and have slopes of 0 to 4 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 14 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 48 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine pores; slightly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick.)
Bt--9 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately calcareous, carbonates are disseminate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick.)
Btk1--17 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; moderately calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in few fine masses of secondary carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)
Btk2--23 to 31 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine pores; common moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in common fine masses of secondary carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick.)
Btk3--31 to 42 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic, few very fine roots; many very fine pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated and in common fine masses of secondary carbonate, moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick.)
Ck--42 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine pores; few krotovina; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Juab County, Utah; about two miles west and four miles south of Nephi; 1,200 feet south of the NW corner of Section 31, T.13S., R. 1 E. Lon -111.874, Lat 39.642, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 90 consecutive days in the summer. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature is 60 to 70 degrees F.
The mollic epipedon is 10 to 19 inches thick. The solum thickness is 24 to 42 inches. Depth to the horizon of carbonate accumulation is 18 to 30 inches.
The Ap horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and 2 or 3 moist. It has 23 to 27 percent clay. The Ap horizon is slightly or moderately alkaline.
The Btk horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR and value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist, chroma is 3 or 4. It has 27 to 35 percent clay and has less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. The Btk horizon is mildly or moderately alkaline.
The Ck horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 4 or 5 dry and 4 through 6 moist. It is a silt loam, loam or silty clay loam and is moderately to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bingham,
Morrow,
Parleys,
Parlo,
Slickpoo and
Timpanogos series. Morrow and Slickpoo soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Parleys, Parlo, Bingham and Timpanogos soils lack 5YR hue. Parleys soils are also slightly acid or neutral in the A and B horizons. Parlo soils have contrasting textures in the particle size control section. Bingham soils have a gravelly argillic horizon. Timpanogos soils have a fine-loamy particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nephi soils occur on alluvial fans at elevations of 5,000 to 5,500 feet and have slopes of 0 to 4 percent. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F., the average summer temperature is 63 to 73 degrees F., and the freeze-free season is 100 to 140 days. The average annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ebbs,
Juab,
Moroni, and the competing
Parleys soils. Ebbs, Juab and Moroni soils lack argillic horizons. Juab and Moroni have an aridic moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as dry cropland for alfalfa and small grains. The native vegetation was big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Nephi soils are inextensive and are in the central part of Utah.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Juab County, Utah 1953.
REMARKS: 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 Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.