LOCATION PIUTE UT+AZ NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Lithic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Piute loamy fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
C--0 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and fine roots; few fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
R--9 inches; sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; 9 miles northeast of Navajo Mountain School; SW1/4 SW1/4 section 22, T.42S., R.11E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 52 to 58 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature at the lithic contact: 72 to 76 degrees F.
Soil moisture: dry in all parts above the base of the moisture control section for 75 to 85 percent of the time. The soil is 4 to 10 inches deep over sandstone. Typic aridic moisture regime.
A or AC horizon (where present)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 or 6
Rock fragments: 15 to 20 percent
C horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: loamy fine sand to fine sand
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Piute soils are on rolling uplands. Slopes are 2 to 30 percent. The soil formed in eolian deposits and residuum derived from sandstone. Elevation ranges from 3,700 to 6,500 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 5 to 12 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 49 to 56 degrees F. The mean summer temperature is 70 to 75 degrees and the freeze-free period ranges from 140 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aneth and Moepitz soils. Aneth soils lack a lithic contact within 60 inches of the surface. Moepitz soils have a lithic contact at depths of 24 to 40 inches and average loamy very fine sand in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; rapid or moderately rapid permeability above the bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for rangeland. Potential vegetation consists of blackbrush, snakeweed, Mormon tea, Indian ricegrass and prickly pear cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona. The series is of moderate extent. MLRA 35.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County, Utah, 1976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Entisol feature - no diagnostic horizons and the soil is sandy throughout.
Lithic contact - the boundary with sandstone at about 9 inches.