LOCATION OSTLER                  UT

Established Series
Rev. MJD-KLS
01/2023

OSTLER SERIES

The Ostler series consists of deep well drained soils that formed in material weathered from tuffaceous sandstone, tuffaceous siltstone and tuffaceous limestone. These soils are on hillslopes of foothills. Slopes are 20 to 50 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 510 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 16 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ostler loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oe--0 to 3 cm; matted decaying leaves and twigs.

A1--3 to 21 cm; black (10YR 2/1) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 45 cm thick)

A2--21 to 49 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine and medium granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bt1--49 to 59 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and very plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine pores; common thin clay skins of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--59 to 74 cm, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) clay, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt1 and Bt2 horizons - 25 to 95 cm)

Bt3--74 to 97 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) heavy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and very plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; many fine and very fine pores; many thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual irregular boundary. (0 to 40 cm thick)

Bt4--97 to 127 cm, brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; common, medium, distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine and very fine pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 55 cm thick)

C--127 to 155 cm; crushed colors are light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) heavy clay loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; 50 percent dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist and 50 percent pale olive (5Y 6/3) moist, aggregate color; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8)

TYPE LOCATION: Weber county, Utah; about 5 km southwest of Huntsville, south of Snow Basin Road; about 185 meters east and 275 meters north of SW corner, sec. 23, T.6N., R.1E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture--Soils are usually moist but are dry for 50 to 70 consecutive days during the summer.
Mean annual soil temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--16 to 20 degrees C
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 50 cm
Combined thickness of A and Bt horizons--90 to 150 cm or more

A horizons
Value--2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 or 2 dry and moist
Texture--loam in the upper part to loam, light clay loam, or light silty clay loam in the lower part
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--15 to 45 cm

Bt horizons
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma--2 through 4 moist
Texture--clay or silty clay to heavy clay loam, sandy clay loam or heavy silty clay loam.
Clay films are common to many and are thin to moderately thick in the Bt horizon.
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 7.3
Thickness--80 to 125 cm or more

C horizon
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry, 2 through 4 moist
Texture--heavy loam, silt loam, heavy sandy clay loam or heavy silty clay loam, gravelly light clay loam or light silty clay loam
Rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent paragravels
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 9.0
This horizon is noncalcareous to strongly calcareous.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Booth, Donner, Dumecq, Manila, Marsden, Rands, and Rob Roy series. Booth, Donner and Rob Roy soils have bedrock at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Dumecq and Manila soils have hue of 5YR in the Bt horizon. Marsden soils occur in a 280 to 360 mm precipitation zone and are dry more than 90 days during the summer, and have solums less than 90 cm thick. Rands soils have a solum less than 90 cm thick over coarse sandy loam C horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--all aspects of hillslopes of foothills
Elevation--1575 to 2050 meters
Slopes--20 to 50 percent
Parent material--residuum, colluvium, and alluvium weathered from tuffaceous sandstone, siltstone and limestone
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 560 mm
Mean annual air temperature--14 to 18 degrees C
Frost-free period--80 to 100 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for watershed, and range and wildlife habitat. Potential vegetation consists of Gambel oak, serviceberry, snowberry, slender wheatgrass, bluegrass, yarrow, waterleaf, and mulesear dock.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ostler soils are of small extent in the foothills of northern Utah; MLRA 47.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Weber County, Morgan Area, Utah, 1974

REMARKS: Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 01/2023.

Ostler soils have a frigid temperature regime and a xeric soil moisture regime with a typic subclass.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.