LOCATION SPITZEN UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Oxyaquic Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Spitzen sand, on a southeast facing 3 percent slope under shrubs and grasses at an elevation of 4,900 feet. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse and medium common fine and very fine roots; very slightly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
A2--2 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; very slightly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons range from 4 to 8 inches)
C1--5 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; very slightly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
C2--10 to 22 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sand, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; very slightly effervescent (3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the C horizons range from 15 to 20 inches)
2C3--22 to 28 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common coarse and medium and few fine and very fine roots; few coarse and common medium, fine, and very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; common medium and fine prominent, yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary.
2C4--28 to 34 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; few coarse and common medium, fine and very fine tubular pores; common medium, fine and very fine gypsum veins; slightly effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; common fine and very fine prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2C5--34 to 39 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; few coarse and common medium, fine and very fine tubular pores; few fine and very fine gypsum veins; slightly effervescent (6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) gradual wavy boundary.
2C6--39 to 44 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine and common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2C7--44 to 55 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse and medium and common fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine and common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; few very fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2C8--55 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium and common fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine and common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; few very fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; located about 1,200 feet west and 2,600 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 4, T.3S., R.1E., USBM; USGS Roosevelt, Utah quadrangle; 40 degrees, 15 minutes, 5 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 52 minutes, 52 seconds west longitude; NAD 027.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls throughout the year, with a slight increase in late summer and fall. Moisture regime is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F.
Depth to endosaturation: 36 to 60 inches to endosaturation during the months of April through October. In some locations the water table is enhanced by irrigation water.
Depth to lithologic discontinuity: 20 to 30 inches to loamy material
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Particle-size control section (weighted average): 1 to 8 percent clay in upper part and 18 to 35 percent clay in lower part
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Clay percent: 1 to 8
C horizon:
Value: 5 to 7 dry, and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: sand or loamy sand with 3 to 8 percent clay
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
2C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, and 4 to 6 moist
Texture: dominantly silt loam, loam, and clay loam but in some pedons strata of very fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam or silty clay loam are present
Gypsum: 0 to 3 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian deposits over loamy alluvium derived from sandstone, shale, limestone and quartzite
Landform: alluvial flats
Slopes: 1 to 4 percent
Elevation: 4,700 to 4,900 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 5 to 8 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 45 to 47 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 110 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ohtog, Shotnick , Stygee , and Turzo soils. These soils are on similar landscape positions as Spitzen soils but do not have the lithologic discontinuity with loamy material. Turzo and Ohtog soils have fine-loamy particle size control sections. Shotnick soils have coarse-loamy and Stygee soils have fine particle size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: moderately well drained; low runoff; moderate or moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for range and wildlife habitat, however, they are used as irrigated cropland in some localities. Potential vegetation consists of fourwing saltbush, Indian ricegrass, needleandthread, and galleta. These soils have been correlated to the Desert Sand (Fourwing Saltbush) - 034XY112UT range site in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Utah. LRR D, MLRA 34. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah County Soil Survey, Utah, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (C2 and 2C3 through 2C6 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the surface to a depth of 5 inches. (A1 and A2 horizons)
Endosaturation: The presence of a saturated zone at 36 to 60 inches during the months of April through October.
Lithologic discontinuity: The contact of eolian deposits overlying loamy alluvium at 22 inches.
The CEC activity class was inferred from laboratory data from similar soils in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.