LOCATION TOSSER UT+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Tosser very gravelly sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and thick platy structure parting to strong very fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine vesicular and common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in thin coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
A2--10 to 25 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; common thin silica coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in thin coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)
Bkq1--25 to 58 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; common thin silica coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in thin coatings on the undersides of rocks; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual irregular boundary. (20 to 46 cm thick)
Bkq2--58 to 94 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; loose; few very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 75 percent gravel; common thin silica coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; slightly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in moderately thick coatings on the underside of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 50 cm thick)
Bkq3--94 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; thin silica coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and in moderately thick coatings on the undersides of rock fragments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Box Elder County, Utah; about 6 miles west of Lucin; 1,400 feet south and 1,000 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 14, T. 7 N., R. 19 W.; USGS Lucin, Utah 7.5 minute quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees 19 minutes 45 seconds N and longitude 113 degrees 59 minutes 50 seconds W; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring and for brief periods in late summer due to convection storms; aridic bordering on xeric soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 9.0 to 12.0 degrees C.
Depth to the calcic horizon: 18 to 30 cm.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent through violently effervescent.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 2 to 10 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 75 percent.
A horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Structure: Platy, granular or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Hard to soft and friable to very friable.
Bkq horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry and 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Loamy sand or sand, some pedons have subhorizons of very gravelly loam.
Modifiers: Extremely gravelly, very gravelly, or very cobbly.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons are stratified. At least one subhorizon has a calcium carbonate equivalent of 15 to 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Threesee and Ungene series.
Threesee soils have a depth to the calcic horizon that ranges from 36 to 137 cm. Ungene soils have a calcium carbonate equivalent of 5 to 10 percent
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tosser soils are on dissected fan terraces, fan remnants, stream terraces, bars and beach plains at elevations of 1,370 to 1,890 meters. Slopes are 0 to 40 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium derived from limestone, rhyolite and chert. The average annual precipitation is 200 to 300 mm. The mean annual temperature is 8.0 to 10.5 degrees C. and the freeze-free period is about 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Hiko Peak, Amtoft, Jericho, Smaug and Ursine soils. The Hiko Peak soils are loamy-skeletal. The Amtoft soils are shallow to bedrock. The Jericho and Ursine soils are shallow to an indurated hardpan layer. The Smaug soils have a typic aridic soil moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential vegetation is black sagebrush, shadscale, and bottlebrush squirreltail. These soils are correlated to semidesert ecological sites in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tosser soils are located in northwest and central Utah and eastern Nevada. They are of moderate extent. MLRA 28A and 28B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County, Utah - Western Part, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm. (A1 and part of A2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from approximately 25 to 152 cm (Bkq1, Bkq2, Bkq3, horizons).
Particle-control section - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (Bkq1, Bkq2 and part of the A2 and Bkq3 horizons).