LOCATION SHECKLE UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sheckle loam, 4 to 15 percent slopes in rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed oak leaves and twigs.
A1--1 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, many fine and very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
A2--8 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, many fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 27 inches thick)
A3--26 to 43 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, many fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 17 inches thick)
AC--43 to 49 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium, common fine and very fine roots; common fine and many very fine interstitial pores; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick).
C--49 to 61 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine and many very fine interstitial pores; medium acid (pH 5.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Kane County, Utah; about 5 miles west of the western shore of Navajo Lake; about 2,100 feet north and 740 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 7, T. 38 S., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 25 to 48 inches. The particle size control section averages 18 to 27 percent clay, 45 to 70 percent sand, and less than 15 percent gravel. Reaction is medium acid to neutral throughout.
The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loam or sandy loam in the upper part and sandy clay loam or loam in the lower part.
The C horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beman (T), Falkirk (ND), Garlips (CO), Garza T(WY), Lonecone T(CO), Obrien (MT), Roseglen (ND) and Shawa (CO) series. Arnegard, Falkirk and Roseglen soils have cambic horizons and have horizons of carbonate accumulation. Beman soils are more alkaline that neutral in all horizons. Bowery soils have a cambic horizon. Garza soils are uniformly calcareous within a depth of 0 to 10 inches. Garlips soils are slightly to moderately alkaline throughout. Lonecone soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to soft partially weathered sandstone bedrock. Obrien soils are formed in glacial till and have an accumulation of carbonates from 21 to 60 inches. Shawa soils are dominantly clay loam and have less than 45 percent sand in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sheckle soils are on rolling mountain plateaus at elevations of 7,200 to 8,500 feet. Slopes range from 4 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and residuum derived dominantly from sandstone and shale. The mean annual air temperature is 39 to 44 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 16 to 22 inches. The freeze free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Faim, Fughes and Losee series. Faim and Losee soils are in a cryic temperature regime and occur either at higher elevations or on north aspects of moderately steep to very steep mountainsides. Fughes soils have a fine textured argillic horizon and occur downslope of the Sheckle soils on gently sloping mountain terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland. The native vegetation is Gambel oak, Kentucky bluegrass, tall native bluegrass, slender wheatgrass, mountain brome, Letterman needlegrass, snowberry, aspen peavine and larkspur.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 47B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kane County (Iron-Washington Area), Utah, 1997. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone of organic matter accumulation and high base saturation from the mineral soil surface to a depth of about 48 inches (A1, A2, A3 and AC horizons).
Pachic feature - the mollic epipedon is greater than 16 inches thick.
Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Series classified according to Eighth Edition, 1998.
ADDITIONAL DATA: