LOCATION RAPLEE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, gypsic, mesic Typic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Raplee very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.
C1--O to 4 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) very fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist weak platy structure in the surface 1/2 inch, massive below; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few medium and fine roots; strongly gypsiferous; moderately calcareous, lime disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
C2--4 to 22 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) very fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; strongly gypsiferous; moderately calcareous, lime disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (17 to 24 inches thick)
Cr--22 to 36 inches; interbedded fractured sandstone and soft shale with common fine roots between rock fragments.
R--36 inches; consolidated sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; 7 miles west and 9 miles south of Mexican Hat; NE1/4 NW1/4 sec. 25, T.43S., R.17S.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 30 inches
Depth to lithic contact: 30 to 40 inches
Mean annual soil temperature: 54 to 59 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature at depth of 20 inches: 74 to 79 degrees F.
Soil moisture: The soils are dry in all parts above the base of the moisture control section for 75 to 85 percent of the time. Typic aridic moisture regime.
Gypsum content: 30 to 60 percent.
C horizon
Hue: 5YR or 2.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 5 or 6
Texture: loam to very fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Raplee soils are on dissected pediments at elevations of 4,700 to 5,200 feet. Slope gradients are 1 to 12 percent. These soils formed in residuum from gypsiferous shale and sandstone. The climate is arid and the average annual precipitation ranges from 6 to 8 inches. The mean annual temperature is 52 to 56 degrees F. The mean summer temperature is 72 to 77 degrees F., and the frost free period ranges from 150 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aneth and Neskahi soils. Aneth and Neskahi soils do not have gypsic mineralogy and are more than 60 inches deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the bedrock and slow in the bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Raplee soils are used as rangeland. Vegetation is Mormon tea, chamise and galleta grass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah. Raplee soils are moderately extensive. (These soils are mapped adjacent to the Arizona-Utah State line and appear to extend into Arizona.) 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:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 4 inches (C1 horizon)
Entisol feature - The absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons
Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.