LOCATION UTABA UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal over fragmental, mixed, superactive, frigid Cumulic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Utaba cobbly loam, irrigated cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1p--0 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles over surface; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
A12--8 to 17 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts tv weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots, few very fine pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
A13--17 to 29 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly light sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) dry weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; few very fine pores; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
IIC1--29 to 39 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) dry; single grained; loose; few fine and very fine roots; 60 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; medium acid (pH 5.9); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 20 inches thick)
IIC2--39 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly sand, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) dry; single grained; loose; 35 percent cobbles and 40 percent gravel; medium acid (pH 5.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Morgan County, Utah; about 1 1/4 miles east and 3 1/4 miles north of Croydon; approximately 300 feet east and 300 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 3, T.4N., R.4E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 20 to 30 inches thick. Depth to the IIC horizon ranges from 20 to 30 inches. The horizon immediately above the IIC horizon is generally gravelly or very gravelly light sandy loam. The IIC horizon has voids larger than 1 mm. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 45 to 47 degrees F. The mean summer temperature ranges from 61 to 64 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry for 65 to 85 consecutive days during the late summer. Rock fragments consist of rounded quartzite and sandstone, and range from 25 to 60 percent in the A horizon and 50 to 75 percent in the IIC horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 through 4 dry, 1 through 3 moist and chroma of 2 through 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist. It ranges from loam or cobbly loam to gravelly loam or gravelly light sandy loam. This horizon is slightly acid to mildly alkaline and 12 to 30 inches thick.
The IIC horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 6 moist. It ranges from very gravelly or very cobbly sand to loamy sand or very gravelly coarse sandy loam. This horizon is medium acid to mildly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Pringle and Steed series. Pringle soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick and have mottles with chroma of 2 or less above depth of 20 inches. Steed soils have a mollic epipedon less than 20 inches thick, are calcareous throughout and have mean annual soil temperature of more than 47 degrees F. at a depth of 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Utaba soils are at elevations of 4,850 to 6,200 feet. They occur on stream flood plains and terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in alluvium from quartzite and sandstone. The climate is moist subhumid and the average annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 22 inches. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer temperature is 61 to 64 degrees F. and the frost-free period ranges from 70 to 100 days.
ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eastcan and Sunset soils and the competing Pringle soils. Eastcan soils have fine-loamy control sections and are calcareous throughout. Sunset soils have mollic epipedons less than 20 inches thick, have coarse-loamy control sections and have mottles with chroma of 2 or less at depth of about 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained or somewhat excessively drained; rapid runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability in the upper part and rapid or very rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Utaba soils are used for irrigated cropland and improved pasture. Alfalfa and small grain are the principal crops grown. The present native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, basin wildrye, big sagebrush, balsamroot, oakbrush, and serviceberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Utah. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morgan Area, Morgan County, Utah, 1974.
REMARKS: This classification is tentative. This series includes soils formerly named as a cold variant of the Steed series in the Heber Valley Area final correlation.
OSED scanned by NSSQA. Last revised by state 11/74.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Lakewood MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.