LOCATION SCHUSTER                UT

Established Series
Rev. EJ-JAC-KLS
01/2023

SCHUSTER SERIES

The Schuster series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone and from conglomerate of sandstone and quartzite. These soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes are 30 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 690 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Xeric Palecryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Schuster loam, rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 cm; leaves.

A1--3 to 18 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate fine granular structure soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

A2--18 to 48 cm; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear irregular boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

E--48 to 76 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry, weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0) clear wavy boundary. (20 to 45 cm thick)

Bt1--76 to 114 cm; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) gravelly clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)

Bt2--114 to 162 cm; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) very gravelly clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) dry, moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots, few thin clay films; 65 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Morgan County, Utah; about 5 km south and 5 km west of East Canyon Dam, about 185 meters west and 20 meters north of the 51/4 corner of sec. 30, T.2N., R.3E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture--The soils are usually moist, but are dry for 30 to 45 consecutive days during the later part of the summer.
Mean annual soil temperature at depth of 50 cm--3 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--14 to 15 degrees C
Mollic epipedon thickness--25 to 48 cm
Depth to upper boundary of Bt horizon--60 cm or more below the mineral surface
Combined thickness of A, E and Bt horizons--120 to 150 cm or more
Clay content in the upper 50 cm of the Bt horizon--22 to 35 percent clay
Rock fragment content in the upper 50 cm of the Bt horizon--45 to 60 percent of quartzite and sandstone lithology

A horizon
Hue--10YR or 7.5YR
Value--3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry
Texture--loam or gravelly loam
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5
Rock fragment content--0 to 30 percent gravel or cobbles

E horizon
Hue--7.5YR or 5YR
Value--4 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--4 through 6 dry and moist
Texture--sandy loam or loam
Rock fragment content--20 to 50 percent gravel or cobbles
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5

Bt horizon
Hue--2.5YR or 5YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma--6 through 8 dry and moist
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--22 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content--35 to 75 percent gravel or cobbles
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Charcol, Flygare, Lucky Star, Nordic and Norway Flat series. Charcol and Flygare soils have mollic epipedons more than 50 cm thick. Lucky Star soils have A/B horizons. Nordic soils have the upper boundary of the Bt horizon at depths of 100 to 117 cm and have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR. Norway Flat soils have gravelly sandy loam to gravelly sandy clay loam Bt horizons and have A/B horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountain slopes
Elevation--1775 to 2500 meters
Slopes--30 to 60 percent
Parent material--residuum and local alluvium weathered from sandstone and conglomerate of sandstone and quartzite
Climate--humid
Mean annual precipitation--640 to 760 mm
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 5 degrees C
Mean summer air temperature--13 to 15 degrees C
Frost free period--60 to 75 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat and watershed. The present native vegetation is oak, snowberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, bearded wheatgrass, balsamroot, native bluegrass, big sagebrush, mountain laurel and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Schuster soils are of small extent in northern Utah; MLRA 47.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morgan County, Morgan Area, Utah, 1974

REMARKS: Converted to metric and O horizons were updated to start at zero. Competing series section was not updated. 01/2023

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.