LOCATION RIPGUT UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Durinodic Xeric Calciargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Ripgut gravelly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
The soil surface is covered with 5 percent gravel.
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and many fine and very fine roots; common medium, many fine and very fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 20 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few medium, many fine and very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 23 inches thick)
Bkq1--20 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; weakly to strongly discontinuously cemented by silica and carbonates; few fine and very fine roots; few medium, common fine and very fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 30 inches thick)
Bkq2--31 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; weakly to strongly discontinuously cemented by silica and carbonates; few fine and very fine roots; few medium, common fine and very fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; Hamlin Valley; about 100 feet north of the southwest corner of Section 23, T. 32 S., R. 19 W; Eightmile Spring Quadrangle; lat. 37 degrees 59 minutes 55 seconds N. and long. 113 degrees 57 minutes 2 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 69 to 72 degrees F. These soils have a soil moisture regime that is aridic bordering on xeric. The particle size control section is 0 to 15 percent rock fragments that are gravel in size and averages 35 to 50 percent clay.
The A horizon has a hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loam or gravelly loam. Igneous rock fragment content is 10 to 20 percent gravel. Reaction is slightly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value is 4 to 6 dry and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma is 3 or 4. Texture is clay loam or clay. Clay content is 35 to 50 percent. Reaction is slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline. Igneous rock fragment content is 0 to 15 percent.
The Bkq horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value is 6 or 7 dry and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma is 3 or 4. Texture is sandy loam or loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline. Rock fragment content is 0 to 15 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ripgut soils are on fan remnants at elevations of 6,200 to 6,700 feet. Slope are 2 to 8 percent. The soils formed in alluvium dominantly from igneous rocks. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches. The mean air annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 67 to 70 degrees F. The freeze free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deerlodge and Pioche soils. Deerlodge soils are moderately deep to duripan and the Pioche soils are clayey-skeletal and shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; slowly permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for grazing and wildlife habitat. Important plants are bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Utah; Iron County. MLRA D28. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County (Iron-Washington Soil Survey Area), Utah, 1997. This soil is named after Ripgut Creek in southwest Beaver Co., Utah
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features found in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to 4 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone of clay accumulation of 4 to 20 inches. (Bt horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone of carbonate accumulation exceeding 15 percent that is 5 percent higher than an underlying horizon from 20 to 60 inches. (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons)
Durinodic feature - the zone that is brittle and has a firm rupture resistance class (Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Classification is based on the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998".