LOCATION OKERLAND           UT
Tentative Series
Rev: VLP/MJD/JBF
03/2010

OKERLAND SERIES


The Okerland series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in alluvium derived from igneous and sedimentary rocks. Okerland soils are on fan skirts and alluvial fans. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 225 millimeters and the mean annual air temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Torrifluventic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Okerland clay loam; irrigated cropland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 16 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial and tubular pores; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 28 cm thick)

A--16 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine, and few medium interstitial and tubular pores; very slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

C1--28 to 43 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

C2--43 to 64 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 35 cm thick)

C3--64 to 90 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 35 cm thick)

C4--90 to 118 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive, slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few very fine roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 30 cm thick)

C5--118 to 150 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 5 percent fine (2 to 5 mm) gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Sevier County, Utah; 1 mile north of Monroe; 800 feet south and 4,300 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 9, T. 25 S., R. 3 W.; Elsinore USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 38 minutes 42 seconds N. and longitude 112 degrees 7 minutes 42 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and early spring and for brief periods in late summer due to convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9.0 to 12.0 degrees C.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 25 to 48 cm.
Organic matter below the mollic epipedon: .5 to 1 percent to 150 cm, irregular decrease with increasing depth.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 27 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Average 0 to 15 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.

C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Clay loam, silty clay loam, or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent (some pedons have thin horizons with up to 20 percent gravel)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Etta, Harpt, Kazul, and Juab series.

Etta soils have mean summer soil temperatures less than 19 degrees C, have moist values of 2 or 3 in the C horizon and do not have carbonates within 1 meter; Harpt, Kazul, and Juab soils have a particle-size control section with 18 to 27 percent clay.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Alluvium derived from igneous and sedimentary rocks.
Landform: Alluvial flats and fan skirts.
Slopes: 0 to 2 percent.
Elevation: 1,425 to 1,860 meters.
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 10.5 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation: 200 to 300 mm.
Frost-free period: 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Escalante, Jura, and Monroe series. The Escalante soils are coarse-loamy and have a calcic horizon. The Jura soils are fine and have vertic properties. The Monroe soils are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low or low runoff, moderately slow permeability; saturated hydraulic conductivity class is moderately high.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for irrigated cropland and rangeland. Potential vegetation consists of Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah; MLRA 28A; small extent.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Sevier County, Utah, soil survey area. 2008.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 28 cm. (Ap and A horizons)
Torrifluventic feature The irregular decrease in organic matter in the zone from 25 to 125 cm.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (C1, C2, C3 and part of the A and C4 horizons).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.