LOCATION SHAY UT+AZEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Shay clay loam - meadow (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, sticky, plastic; fine roots; few fine pores; moderately calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick.)
A1--3 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) light silty clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky, plastic; many fine roots; many fine and few large pores; moderately calcareous, slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick.)
C1--12 to 30 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky, plastic many fine roots; few fine pores; moderately calcareous, moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary (8 to 25 inches thick.)
C2--30 to 60 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; fine reddish brown 5YR 5/4, mottles; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderately; medium and these subangular blocky structure; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; 5.8 miles north and 1/2 mile east of Monticello and 1/2 mile east of Carlesle, 100 feet north of Vega drainage, SE 1/4 sec. 36, T. 32 S., R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness: more than 20 inches
Organic matter: decreases irregularly or remains more than 0.5 percent to a depth of 50 inches.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 54 degrees F.
Average summer temperature: 65 to 50 degrees F.
Soil moisture: The soil is saturated within depths of 40 inches for more than 90 days when not frozen unless artificially drained. The depth to the water table is mainly 30 to 50 inches. Aridic ustic moisture regime.
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 4 moist and 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Structure: The upper 3 inches has thin platy structure and the remainder weak to moderate granular or subangular blocky, except that the lower part has prismatic structure in some pedons.
Carbonates: 3 to 15 percent carbonates
Organic matter: 3.5 to 6.5 percent organic matter.
Texture: 10 to 40 inch control section averages silty clay or clay, but it contains strata of silty clay loam or silt loam.
C horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 through 4 moist and 3 through 5 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Redoximorphic features: The C horizon below depths of 30 inches has from few faint to many fine distinct mottles of reddish brown.
Structure: weak to moderate medium prismatic or subangular blocky structure or is massive
Calcium carbonate: slightly or strongly calcareous
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Texture: commonly stratified, and loamy fine sand, coarse sand, and gravel are below depths of 40 inches in places.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the New Cambria (KS) series. New Cambria soils are moderately well drained and in climate that is wetter.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shay soils are on slightly entrenched narrow stream valleys and on river flood plains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. Shay soils formed in fine textured, calcareous alluvium derived principally from shale and limestone. The climate is dry subhumid. The mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F., average summer temperature from 62 to 68 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation from 14 to 17 inches. The freeze free period ranges from 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are The Abajo, Monticello, and Northdale soils and the competing Kirkham and Winn soils. Abajo, Monticello and Northdale soils have argillic horizons and are not saturated with water within 40 inches for 90 days. Monticello and Northdale soils contain less than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: These soils are somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is slow and permeability is slow to very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for improved pasture, irrigated alfalfa or small grains, and rangeland. The native vegetation is western wheatgrass, big sagebrush and rabbitbrush. Some of the wetter areas have saltgrass, Kentucky bluegrss, foxtail, and some sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moderately extensive in southeastern and northern Utah. MLRAs 28A, 35 & 36.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San Juan SCD, San Juan County, Utah, 1952.
REMARKS: Shay soils were formerly classified in the Alluvial great soils group.