LOCATION PRESTON UT+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Typic Xeropsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Preston fine sand, duned, 0 to 10 percent slopes - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; structureless, single grain; loose; many fine roots; noncalcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
AC--6 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; structureless, single grain; loose; many fine roots; noncalcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); diffuse smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Cl--15 to 26 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand, dark, yellowish-brown (10YR 4/4) moist; structureless single grain; loose; few fine roots; noncalcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.6) diffuse smooth boundary.
C2--26 to 64 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; structureless, single grain; loose; few fine roots; noncalcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: 2,200 feet south of the Utah-Idaho state line and 1,150 feet east of State Highway 23, Cornish, Utah. 700 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 34, T. 15 N. R. 1 W., Cache County, Utah.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The soil moisture regime is Xeric bordering on Aridic.
The soil is noncalcareous to moderately calcareous. Average texture of the 10 to 40 inch control section is fine sand marginal to loamy fine sand.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR; value 3 to 5 moist, and from 4 to 6 dry, with chromas of 2 to 4. Texture is fine sand. In places, the surface is covered with a 1 to 3 inch layer of recently deposited fine sand similar to the C horizon. Organic matter content of the A horizon ranges from 0.6 to 1.0 percent. Reaction is slightly to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, values of 4 to 6 moist and 5 to 7 dry, and chromas of 3 and 4, dry or moist. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline. Texture is fine sand, loamy fine sand, or sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bisbee (WA), Chimney (T CA), Coneward (CA), Dart (WA), Ewall (WA), Panamaker (WA), Santaquin (UT), and Solo (WA) series. Bisbee and Solo soils have O horizons. Chimney soils have dominantly loamy coarse sand and coarse sand in the control section, are slightly acid or neutral and contain 5 to 30 percent rock fragments. Coneward soils are dry for 125 days after the summer solstice. Dart soils are slightly acid to neutral. Ewall soils are dry more than 90 consecutive days and may include loamy sand and coarse sand in the particle-size control section. Panamaker soils average 15 to 50 percent volcanic glass and glass aggregates in the particle-size control section. Santaquin soils have hues of 5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Preston soils formed on undulating to rolling, nearly level to steep sand dunes, deposited on lake terraces and terrace escarpments. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. Dunes ranging in height from about 3 to 6 feet are common. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 F. to 52 degrees F., the average summer temperature ranges from 65 F. to 73 degrees F., and the frost free season ranges from 120 to 175 days. The average annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 19 inches. Elevation is 4300 to 6200 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are in the Francis, Layton, Kidman, and Syracuse series. They all have mollic epipedons. Layton, Kidman and Syracuse have horizons of carbonate accumulation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively or somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is slow and permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly as range land which has very low carrying capacity. A few areas have been leveled for irrigated cropland; alfalfa, small grains and corn for silage are the main crops. Native vegetation includes Indian ricegrass, rabbitbrush, big sagebrush, sand dropseed, wild alfalfa, cheatgrass, and in places some perennial bunchgrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northern Utah and southern Idaho. The soil is of moderate extent. MLRA 13 and 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cache Valley Area, Utah, 1913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 6 inches. (A horizon)
Psamment feature - texture of loamy fine sand or coarser in all subhorizons of the particle size control section (10 to 40 inches).
The classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998".