LOCATION RICH UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Calcic Natrudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Rich silt loam, on a 1 percent nearly level slope in pastureland. When described the soil was dry to depth of 19 inches. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 2 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
B21t--2 to 14 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; strong medium prismatic structure that parts to strong medium subangular blocky; hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; many thin clay films on ped faces; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
B22tcacs--14 to 19 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure that parts to strong medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; few thin clay film on ped faces; strongly calcareous; very strongly alkaline in the lower 4 inches (pH 9.1); abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C1cacs--19 to 38 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; lime is disseminated; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.5); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 32 inches thick)
C2--38 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine interstitial pores; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Rich County, Utah; about 2 miles east of Sage Creek Junction; 200 feet north and 1,000 feet west of the SE corner of Section 18, T. 12 N., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum typically is 16 to 25 inches, but ranges from 16 to 32 inches. The natric horizon has a sodium absorption ratio 13 to 50. The mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. A season water table is between the depths of 24 to 72 inches. These soils are on a landscape position that receives additional water.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3 moist or dry. It is a silt loam or loam. The A horizon has weak medium platy or subangular blocky structure. It ranges from moderately to strongly alkaline.
The B2t horizon has hue of 10YR, and the upper part has value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry, and chroma of 1 moist and 1 or 2 dry. The lower part has value of 3 or 4 moist, 3 through 6 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. The B2t horizon is a clay or silty clay with 45 to 60 percent clay. It has strong prismatic and subangular blocky structure. The upper part ranges from moderately to strongly alkaline, and the lower part ranges from strongly to very strongly alkaline. The lower part of this horizon has a sodium absorption ratio 13 to 50.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It commonly is loam or fine sandy loam, but in some pedons there are stratified layers of silt loam or sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cavour and Nahon series. These soils have an A2 horizon and are formed in lacustrine and glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rich soils are on nearly level floodplains at elevations of 6,200 to 6,350 feet. The mean annual temperature is 38 to 42 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 59 to 62 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 9 to 11 inches. Freeze-free period is 55 to 65 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wader, Nevka, Bear Lake, and Bereniceton soils. Wader, Nevka, and Bear Lake soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section and are on more concave landscape postions. Bereniceton soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section and are on slightly higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well or somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is very slow. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETTAION: These soils are used mostly for rangeland and irrigated pasture. Native vegetation is saltgrass, western wheatgrass, slender wheat-grass, lanceleaf yellowbrush and big sagebrush. DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rich soils are of small extent; about 4,745 acres have been mapped in northeastern Utah.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED: Rich County, Utah, 1978. The name is that of the county in which it was first described.
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