LOCATION USHAR              UT+ID
Established Series
Rev: MJD
11/2007

USHAR SERIES


The Ushar series consists of very deep, well drained soils on nearly level to strongly sloping alluvial fans, outwash plains, and moderately steep to very steep mountainsides. These soils formed in mixed alluvium with a loess influence in some areas. Permeability is moderate. Slopes are 0 to 70 percent. The average annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches and the average annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Ushar loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; vesicular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

A2--3 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bw1--6 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

Bw2--9 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

Bk1--20 to 23 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and fine angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous, segregated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bk2--23 to 31 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; very strongly calcareous, lime is massive; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)

2Bk3--31 to 51 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) gravelly sandy loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) moist; single grain; hard, friable, slightly plastic; few fine roots; very strongly calcareous, lime is massive; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual wavy boundary. (17 to 21 inches thick)

2C--51 to 57 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly coarse sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; single grain; loose; slightly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).

TYPE LOCATION: Beaver County, Utah; 2.6 miles north and 0.7 miles west of Manderfield; 0.3 mile east of the SW corner of section 8, T.28S., R.7W.; Gillies Hill USGS quad; lat. 38 degrees 23 minutes 7.75 seconds N. and long. 112 degrees 39 minutes 43.06 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: These soils are dry in the moisture control section more than 50 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F., and are continually dry for 50 to 70 consecutive days during the summer months in more than 6 out 10 years. The soil moisture regime is aridic bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 48 to 50 degrees F.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 9 to 20 inches.

Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: 20 to 50 percent below 30 inches.

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline; areas of cropland range to neutral in the surface.

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

Bk horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Texture: Loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy loam.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

2C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4.
Texture: Sandy loam, sand.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ushar soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping alluvial fans, outwash plains, and moderately steep to very steep mountain slopes. Slopes are dominantly from 1 to 30 percent but range from 0 to 70 percent. The soils formed in deep alluvium from intermediate igneous rocks and quartzite. Some areas are locally influenced by loess or silty alluvium from loess. Elevations range from 4,400 to 6,800 feet. The average annual temperature is about 46 to 49 F., the average summer temperature is about 64 to 66 F., and the average annual precipitation is about 10 to 14 inches. The frost free-period is 100 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Etta, Firmage, Flowell, Mill Hollow, Mosida, Murdock, Pharo, and Sheeprock soils. Etta, Mosida, and Sheeprock soils lack Bw and Bk horizons. Sheeprock soils are also very gravelly and sandy. Firmage soils lack Bw horizons, are cobbly throughout, and lack mollic epipedons. Flowell soils have Bt horizons containing more than 35 percent clay. Mill Hollow soils lack Bw horizons. Murdock soils lack Bw horizons and have an indurated lime cemented hardpan. Pahro soils lack Bw horizons and are very gravelly throughout. Etta soils are on floodplains. Firmage soils are on foothills. Flowell, Mill Hollow, Pharo, and Sheeprock soils are on alluvial fans and foothills. Mosida soils are on floodplains and alluvial fans. Murdock soils are on dissected terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability; slow to high runoff very high runoff.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for watershed, wildlife, and spring grazing by sheep and summer grazing by cattle. Some areas are used for irrigated cropland. The potential natural vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, tall native bluegrass, squirreltail, cheatgrass, locoweed, annual mustards, woody phlox, bitterbrush, big sagebrush, juniper, and pinyon pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southwestern Utah and southcentral Idaho. This series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beaver County, Utah, 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: The zone from the surface to 9 inches. (A horizons)

Cambic horizon: The zone from 9 to 20 inches. (Bw horizons)

Calcic horizon: The zone from 20 to 51 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, and 2Bk3 horizons)

In September 1995 the classification was changed from Calciorthidic Haploxerolls to Calcidic Haploxerolls.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.