LOCATION TAVAPUTS                UT

Established Series
Rev. CSW/JWB
03/2011

TAVAPUTS SERIES

The Tavaputs series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in outwash, colluvium and slope alluvium derived from sandstone, quartzite and shale. Tavaputs soils are on benches, hillslopes and mesas. Slopes range from 3 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 8.6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Ustic Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Tavaputs gravelly sandy clay loam, 3 to 10 percent slopes, on a northwest facing, 10 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 1,738 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; weak thin platy structure parts to weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 cm thick)

Bw1--2 to 13 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parts to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common medium roots; common fine low continuity pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--13 to 23 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure parts to moderate fine subangular and angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; common medium and few fine roots; few fine low continuity pores; 5 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 15 to 21 cm)

Bk1--23 to 36 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure parts to moderate fine subangular and angular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine low continuity pores; 35 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary.

Bk2--36 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) very cobbly sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4), moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 35 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent, carbonates are finely disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 53 to 111 cm or more)

C--76 to 152 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3), moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; 35 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8). (0 to 76 cm thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Carbon County, Utah; about 8.8 kilometers (5.5 miles) northeast of Wellington; located about 200 feet south and 800 feet west of the northwest corner of sec. 26, T. 14 S., R. 11 E.; USGS Wellington quad; lat. 39 degrees 35 minutes 7 seconds N. and long. 110 degrees 38 minutes 57 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is usually dry, but intermittently moist during late summer and early fall. Aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 52 degrees C
Depth to calcic horizon: 18 to 38 cm
Depth to cambic horizon: 3 to 6 cm
Thickness of the cambic horizon: 15 to 21 cm

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Total clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Noncarbonate clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Carbonate content: 40 to 75 percent
Fine sand and coarser sand content: greater than 15 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 60 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: very cobbly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 0 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 20 to 60 percent total; 0 to 3 percent boulders, 0 to 10 percent stones, 0 to 30 percent cobbles, 15 to 30 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 25 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 1 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry; 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: very cobbly loam, gravelly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 60 percent total; 0 to 3 percent boulders, 0 to 5 percent stones, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 15 to 40 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 12 to 40 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 1 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bk, BCk and/or C horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry; 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: very cobbly loam, very cobbly fine sandy loam, very cobbly sandy clay loam, extremely cobbly loam
Clay content: 10 to 27 percent
Carbonate clay content: 5 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent total; 0 to 5 percent boulders, 0 to 15 percent stones, 15 to 45 percent cobbles, 0 to 35 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 75 percent; below a depth of 102 cm, as low as 30 percent
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 16
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 0 to 12
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ildecarb (NM), Ladron (NM), Moab (UT), Puice (NM), Socorro (NM), Stormitt (UT), Storsun (WY), and Tusayan (AZ) series. Ildecarb: has 5 to 15 percent gypsum in the particle-size control section and mean annual soil temperature warmer than 11.1 degrees C
Ladron: has a lithologic discontinuity within a depth of 102 cm
Moab: has mean annual soil temperature of 12.2 to 13.9 degrees F and l1 to 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section
Puice, Socorro, Tusayan: have a lithic contact at 51 to 102 cm
Stormitt: has mean annual soil temperature of greater than 11 degrees C. and includes hue redder than 7.5YR
Storsun: has peak periods of precipitation affecting the soil moisture control section from April through July

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: outwash, colluvium and slope alluvium derived from sandstone, quartzite, shale and other sedimentary rock
Landform: fan remnants, benches, hillslopes, mesas
Slopes: 3 to 30 percent
Elevation: 1,642 to 2,073 meters
Mean annual temperature: 7.2 to 10.0 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 203 to 305 mm
Precipitation pattern: Wettest months are July to October and driest months are December and June
Frost-free period: 110 to 150 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gerst and Minchey series. These soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. The Gerst soils are less than 51 cm deep to a paralithic contact and are under black sagebrush and shadscale. The Minchey soils have a typic aridic moisture regime and are under shadscale and winterfat.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderate to rapid runoff, moderate permeability, high or moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation includes Wyoming big sagebrush, bud sagebrush, shadscale, winterfatIndian ricegrass, galleta, needleandthread and scarlet globemallow. Some areas have scattered Utah Juniper and pinyon.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah, Warm Central Desertic Basins and Plateaus; LRR D, MLRA 34B; small extent; about 3,300 hectares (8,175 acres) in Carbon and Emery Counties.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carbon County, Utah, Carbon Area soil survey, 2011. Named for Tavaputs Plateau, a regional geographic feature.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Series control section: The zone from 0 to 200 cm.
Particle-size control section: The zone from 25 to 100 cm. (Bk1, Bk2, C horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 2 cm. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: The zone from 2 to 23 cm. (Bw horizons)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 23 to 76 cm. (Bk horizons)

In the Bw2 horizon the chroma was originally described as a 5 in the Carbon Area Survey. Presently, a 5 chroma is not allowed.

Horizon sequence as published in Soil Survey of Carbon Area, Utah: A1, B21, b22, C1ca, C2ca, C3.

Taxonomic Version: Classified according to Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.