LOCATION SHOWER UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, mesic Ustertic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Shower silty clay loam, on a southwest facing, linear, 1 percent slope in irrigated pasture at an elevation of 5,320 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ay1--0 to 3 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse platy structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; cracks 5 millimeters wide extend through this horizon; few fine soft masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent, (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary.
Ay2--3 to 10 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; many very fine, common fine tubular pores; cracks 5 millimeters wide extend through this horizon; few fine soft masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent, (16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (Total thickness of the Ay horizon is 3 to 10 inches)
Aby--10 to 22 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; many very fine, common fine tubular pores; cracks 2 millimeters wide extend through this horizon; common medium soft masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent, (18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Cy1--22 to 40 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silty clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; many very fine, few fine tubular pores; common medium soft masses of gypsum; slightly effervescent, (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
Ab--40 to 44 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; common very fine, few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; few fine prominent gray (5YR 5/1) redoximorphic depletions in root channels; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
C2--44 to 50 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent, (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; common fine prominent gray (5YR 6/1) and few fine prominent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) redoximorphic depletions; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
C3--50 to 60 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; very slightly effervescent, (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; common fine prominent gray (5YR 6/1) and few fine prominent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) redoximorphic depletions; moderately alkaline. (pH 8.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 2 miles southwest of Lapoint; located about 1,820 feet north and 1,120 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 30, T. 1 N., R. 2 E., USBM; Fort Duchesne, Utah USGS quad; lat. 40 degrees 21 minutes 55 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 50 minutes 01 seconds W., NAD 27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly throughout the year, with a slight increase in the late summer and fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to endosaturation: 18 to 42 inches to irrigation induced saturation during the months of April through December.
Depth to redox concentrations: 17 to 50 inches
Depth to redox depletions: 40 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section: 40 to 55 percent clay
A horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 20 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 8 to 16
SAR: 0 to 5
Gypsum: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay or clay
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 20 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 2 to 8
SAR: 0 to 5
Gypsum: 1 to 3 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bahl, Baldfield, Bodry, Limon, and Petrie series
Bahl, Baldfield, Befar, Bodry, Limon: do not have endosaturated layers within 60 inches of the surface
Petrie soils have a SAR of 13 to 45 in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium derived from sedimentary rocks
Landform: alluvial flats
Slopes: 0 to 2 percent
Elevation: 5,300 to 5,700 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 49 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 8 to 12 inches
Frost-free period: 110 to 140 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abracon, Crib, Paradox and the competing Baldfield series. Abracon soils are fan remnants, are well drained and have a calcic horizon. Cobbra soils are on structural benches, are well drained and have a calcic horizon. The Paradox soils are on alluvial flats, are well drained and have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. The Baldfield soils are on alluvial flats and are well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained, low to medium runoff, slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for irrigated pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. LRR D, MLRA 34. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah. 1998. The name is coined.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Aby and Cy1 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 22 inches. (Ay1, Ay2 and Aby horizons)
Endosaturation: The presence of irrigation induced saturation at 18 to 42 inches during the months of April through December.
Redoximorphic features: The presence of redox concentrations and depletions in the zone from 40 to 60 inches. (Ab, C2, and C3 horizons)
Vertic features: Shower soils are mapped in the same parent materials as the competing Baldfield series. Baldfield soils are mapped in adjacent delineations. The Baldfield soils have cracks within 125 cm of the soil surface that are 5 mm or more wide through a thickness of 30 cm or more some time in most years and have non-intersecting slickensides. It is assumed that Shower soils would have these same characteristics if they were not irrigated and did not have an irrigation induced water table between 18 and 42 inches.
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.