LOCATION STYGEE UT

Established Series
REV. GWL/MJD/TWH
03/2011

STYGEE SERIES

The Stygee series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils formed in alluvium derived from sedimentary rocks. Stygee soils are on alluvial flats. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 6 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 45 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Chromic Haplotorrerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Stygee silty clay loam, 0 to 1 percent slopes; rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 2 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse, common medium, and many fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine and many very fine tubular pores; cracks 5 to 20 millimeters wide extend through the horizon; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8 ); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 11 inches thick)

BC--2 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few coarse, common medium and many fine and very fine roots; few medium and fine and many very fine tubular pores; cracks 5 to 20 millimeters wide extend through the horizon; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 33 inches thick)

BCssy1--14 to 31 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium and fine subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few medium and many fine and very fine roots; few medium and many fine and very fine tubular pores; common very fine veins and common medium soft masses of gypsum; common nonintersecting slickensides on faces of peds; cracks 5 to 20 millimeters wide extend through the horizon; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 19 inches thick)

BCssy2--31 to 50 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium and fine prismatic structure parting to weak medium and fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; common fine gypsum veins and crystals; few nonintersecting slickensides on faces of peds; cracks 5 to 10 millimeters wide extend to a depth of 38 inches; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)

BCssy3--50 to 60 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; common fine gypsum veins and crystals; few nonintersecting slickensides on faces of peds; slightly effervescent, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 1.5 miles north of Roosevelt, Utah; 500 feet west, 1,700 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 10, T. 25., R. 1 W., USBM; Roosevelt, Utah USGS Quadrangle; 40 degrees, 19 minutes, 19 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 58 minutes, 27 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. The soil moisture regime is typic aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
This soil is calcareous throughout.
Vertic features: Cracks occur in this soil when dry, ranging in width from 5 to 20 millimeters and extend from the surface to a depth of 30 to 100 centimeters.

Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, clay or clay loam
Salinity: 0 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 20 percent
Gypsum: 1 to 3 percent
SAR: 5 to 13

BC horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay or clay
Salinity: 4 to 8 mmhos/cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 20 percent
Gypsum: 1 to 5 percent
SAR: 5 to 13
Reaction: moderately or strongly alkaline
Vertic features: except for the upper part of the BC, has few to common non-intersecting slickensides.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Colona, Puerco, Unkee, and Zwicker series. Colona soils border an ustic regime. Puerco soils do not have gypsum accumulations. Unkee soils border a xeric regime. Zwicker soils have a paralithic contact within 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium derived from sedimentary rocks
Landform: alluvial flats
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 4,600 to 5,500
Mean annual precipitation: 5 to 8 inches
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 47 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 110 to 125 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nolava, Baldfield, Muff, and Turzo soils. Nolava soils have a calcic horizon and occur on slightly raised older landscapes. Baldfield soils have an ustic aridic moisture regime. Muff soils have a natric horizon. Turzo soils are in the fine-loamy family.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low or medium runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for rangeland, irrigated pastures and cropland. Potential vegetation consists of black greasewood, Castle Valley saltbush, shadscale, bottlebrush squirreltail, alkali sacaton, Indian ricegrass and galleta. In Utah this soil has been correlated to the Alkali Flat (Black Greasewood) - 034XY006UT range site.

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 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. (BC, BCssy1, and BCssy2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 2 inches. (A horizon)
Vertic features: The presence of cracks, and nonintersecting slickensides in the zone from 14 to 60 inches. (BCssy horizons)

Taxonomic version: Eleventh Edition, 2010.

The 03/2011 revision updated the classification from Vertic Torriorthents to Chromic Haplotorrerts.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.