LOCATION SNAKE HOLLOW UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Snake Hollow coarse sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A1--0 to 4 inches: grayish brown (10YR 5/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many fine, few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A2--4 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) heavy coarse sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 5 inches thick)
Bw1--9 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) heavy coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw2--12 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) heavy coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; few thin clay films; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bw3--21 to 27 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) coarse sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; few thin clay films in some pores; slightly effervescent, lime in fine veins and mycelia; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); irregular wavy boundary (2 to 8 inches thick)
C1--27 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); irregular wavy boundary. (8 to 17 inches thick)
C2--35 to 66 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine gravel and sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; noneffervescent except a little lime coating on the bottom of some of the gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; 7 miles west and 3/4 mile south of Manderfield; 1/4 mile south of the NE corner of sec. 29, T.28S., R.8W. Adamsville USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 15 minutes 47 seconds N.; long. 112 degrees 46 minutes 13 seconds W., NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and spring and intermittently moist for brief periods in summer due to convection storms. Aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 63 to 65 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 7 to 16 inches, with a range of 7 to 12 inches most typical.
Solum thickness: 20 to 30 inches.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 5 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of the fragments is acid igneous or intermediate igneous rocks such as rhyolite, andesite or diorite.
A horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Bw horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 18.
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent gravel.
Structure: Weak fine granular or weak fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
Consistence: Hard or very hard, and friable or firm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5, increasing with depth.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Other features: Faint clay films are in some pedons, but there is no significant increase in clay content.
C horizons:
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam; subhorizons of gravelly sand or subhorizons with up to 70 percent gravel are in the lower part of some pedons.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burch (WA), Calpine (CA), Cashmere (WA), Cashmont (WA), Rio King (NV), Roloff (WA), and Roosevelt (WA) series. Burch soils have a MAST of 50 to 55 degrees F, are noncalcareous and have control section textures dominated by loam, silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Calpine soils are moderately acid to neutral, do not have carbonates and are 30 to 50 inches to the base of the cambic horizon. Cashmere soils are not intermittently moist in summer due to convection storms and are not calcareous in the control section. Cashmont soils are not intermittently moist in summer due to convection storms and are not calcareous in the control section.. Rio King soils are not intermittently moist in summer due to convection storms and are influenced by volcanic ash. Roloff and Roosevelt soils are moderately deep over bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Snake Hollow soils are on outwash fans at elevations of 5,600 to 6,800 feet. Slope gradients are 3 to 20 percent. These soils formed in deep alluvium from coarse grained acid and intermediate igneous rocks. The climate is dry subhumid. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F., mean summer temperature is about 64 to 66 degrees F., and average annual precipitation is 12 to 14 inches. Average frost free period is about 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackett, Blue Star, Calita, Collard, Doyce, and Mineral Mountain soils. Blackett soils have calcic horizons. Blue Star soils have calcic horizons. Calita soils have a calcic horizon. Collard and Doyce soils have argillic horizons. Mineral Mountain soils have more than 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon and have calcic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained, moderate or moderately rapid permeability and medium to high runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly as rangeland. Present vegetation is juniper, pinyon, Indian ricegrass, squirreltail, blue grama, lupine, big sagebrush, snakeweed, phlox, and some areas are seeded to crested wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mineral Mountain area and other parts of southwestern Utah. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 28A.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete Area, Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: The diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from the surface to about 9 inches. (A horizons)
Cambic horizon: The subsoil horizon from 9 to 27 inches that has been altered by weathering without appreciable illuvial accumulation. (Bw horizons)
These soils were formerly classified as Brown soils.