LOCATION RUINPOINT               UT+CO

Established Series
Rev. DTH/JWH/DKR/WWJ
10/2018

RUINPOINT SERIES

The Ruinpoint series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in eolian material and alluvium derived from sandstone. Ruinpoint soils are on mesas, alluvial flats on structural benches and structural benches. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Ruinpoint very fine sandy loam in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, moderately sticky; few very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bw--2 to 13 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silt loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

Bk1--13 to 23 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) silt loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in fine soft veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)

Bk2--23 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) silt loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in fine soft veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; about 1 mile north of Hovenweep National Monument; located about 1,000 feet north and 500 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 8, T. 39 S., R. 26 E.; Ruin Point, Utah-Colo. USGS quad; lat. 37 degrees 24 minutes 23 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 04 minutes 43 seconds W., NAD27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: Ustic aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature regime: mesic

Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 57 degrees F

Particle-size control section: 18 to 30 percent clay

Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 8 to 20 inches

A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8, dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bk horizon
Hue: 5YR, 2.5YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 8, dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, very fine sandy loam, loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alicia (NM), El Rancho (NM), Menoken (CO), and Senlar (WY) series.
Alicia soils are driest from October to May and are in MLRA 70.
Calabasas soils have hues of 7.5YR or 10YR.
El Rancho soils have significant amounts of mica in the silt and sand fractions.
Menoken soils have bedrock between 20 and 40 inches.
Senlar soils have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian material and alluvium derived from sandstone
Landform: mesas alluvial flats on structural benches and structural benches
Slopes: 1 to 8 percent
Elevation: 4,760 to 6,000 feet
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 55 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 13 inches
Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year with July
and August being slightly wetter and June being slightly dryer.
Frost-free period: 120 to 175 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Rizno, Lockerby, and Cahona soils. Cahona soils have an argillic horizon. Lockerby soils have a clayey particle-size control section and bedrock within 20 to 40 inches. Rizno soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, low to medium runoff, moderate to moderately slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The potential vegetation is dominantly Wyoming big sagebrush, galleta and Indian ricegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. LRR D, MLRAs 35 & 36. This series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County-Central Part, Utah. 1985.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 inches. (A horizon)

Cambic horizon: The zone from 2 to 13 inches. (Bw horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014

Updates and revisions for the correlation of Kane County, UT642, July 2017, CEM

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.