LOCATION SANDBENCH               UT+NM

Established Series
Rev. DTH/CSW/JWB
04/2011

SANDBENCH SERIES

The Sandbench series consists of moderately deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in residuum, mixed alluvium, and eolian deposits derived mainly from sandstone. Sandbench soils are on structural benches and cuestas and have slopes of 2 to 10 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Typic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Sandbench fine sand, rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--O to 3 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) fine sand; brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium platy and weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Bkl--3 to 13 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam; brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 7 percent ravel; strongly effervescent (13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates occur as few fine soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)

Bk2--13 to 22 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam; brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 11 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (14 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates occur as common very fine irregular soft masses; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (O to 10 inches thick)

Bk3--22 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly loamy fine sand; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few coarse and common fine tubular pores; 27 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates occur as common fine irregular soft masses; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)

R--35 to 39 inches; hard calcareous sandstone

TYPE LOCATION: Emery County, Utah about 12 miles east of Castle Dale; about 2,500 feet west and 1,500 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 17, T. 19 S., R. 10 E.; Buckhorn Reservoir, Utah USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 10 minutes 3.00 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 49 minutes 27.00 seconds W., NAD27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. It is usually dry for 90 to 120 consecutive days. It is moist in some part in the winter, spring, and late summer, and dry late May through early August. Aridic moisture regime.

Soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F.

The control section averages 2 to 12 percent total clay and 2 to 7 percent noncarbonate clay. Rock fragment content is 0 to 20 percent, mainly gravel. Texture is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, fine sand, loamy fine sand, channery fine sandy loam and gravelly loamy fine sand.
Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the calcic horizon is 3 to 15 inches
Reaction is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline throughout

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or lOYR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4

Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 25 percent
Carbonates: Common very fine and fine soft masses of calcium carbonate. Thin lime coats and pendants are common on gravel fragments of sandstone where they occur in the lower part.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Denazar (NM), Lynndyl (UT) and Tohatin (AZ) series. All are greater than 40 inches deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sandbench soils occur on cuestas or structural benches, often in dunelike positions.Elevation is 4,800 to 6,200 feet. These soils formed in eolian material, slope alluvium and residuum from calcareous sandstone. Slopes are 2 to 10 percent. The climate is warm, arid with hot dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 5 to 9 inches. Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F.; and the freeze free period is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Moffat, Sheppard, and Farb soils. Moffat and Sheppard soils are greater than 40 inches deep to sandstone. Farb soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, low runoff, and rapidly or moderately rapidly permeable.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, galleta, sand dropseed and fourwing saltbush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern and central Utah. Series is not extensive. MLRA 34.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan County, Shiprock Area, New Mexico, 1993.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from O to 3 inches (A horizon)

Calcic horizon - the zone from 3 to 35 inches (Bk horizons)

The particle-size control section is marginal to coarse-loamy. Laboratory data needs further checking.

Formerly classified as Typic Calciorthid.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory sample number 84UTD015003

Taxonomic version: Eleventh Edition, 2010

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.