LOCATION UTSO UT+COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Utso loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A1--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent shale channers; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A2--7 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent shale channers; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
AB--17 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 55 percent shale channers; very slightly effervescent, (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 21 inches thick)
Bk--23 to 46 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; 80 percent shale channers; slightly effervescent, (10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and as thin coatings on undersides of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 23 inches thick)
R--46 inches; shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Grand County, Utah; about 32 miles south of Bonanza Utah, 2,400 feet west and 1,100 feet south of NE corner of sec. 33, T. 15 1/2 S., R. 24E., SLBM; 39 degrees, 27 minutes, 32 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 16 minutes, 32 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 62 to 66 degrees F.
Depth to lithic contact: 40 to 60 inches to shale
Mollic epipedon thickness: 16 to 30 inches thick in Utah and up to 60 inches thick in Colorado
Particle-size control section: 18 to 27 percent clay and 35 to 70 percent hard shale fragments
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Bk horizon
Value; 4 through 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist (Low values are due to the shale and not to an increase in organic matter.)
chroma; 3 or 4 dry or moist
Rock fragments: consists of thin flat horizontal highly fractured layers of shale with soil material between the layers and in cracks
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline and noneffervescent or slightly effervescent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Garber, Hidatsa, Lolo, Mescalero, and Osha series.
Garber: have hue of 5YR or redder
Hidatsa: do not have rock fragments in the upper part of the control section and have a lithologic discontinuity below 22 inches
Lolo: are noncalcareous throughout the control section, and have a cambic horizon
Mescalero: have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches
Osha: do not have secondary calcium carbonate accumulations and have granite rock fragments
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium, colluvium, residuum, and eolian deposits
Landscape: hills and mountain slopes
Slopes: 3 to 65 percent
Elevation: 6,800 to 8,600 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 40 to 43 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 22 inches
Frost-free period: 60 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Castner, Tosca, Pathead, Seeprid, Veatch, Whetrock, and Winteridge soils. Castner soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock. Tosca and Whetrock soils have a mollic epipedon less than 16 inches thick and have a calcic horizon. Pathead and Winteridge soils do not have a mollic epipedon. Veatch soils have a mollic epipedon less than 16 inches thick. Seeprid soils have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat and recreation. Potential native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, serviceberry, birchleaf mountainmahogany and muttongrass, needleandthread, bluegrama, brome, wheatgrass and prairie junegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. The series is of moderate extent. Approximately 10,000 acres have been mapped to date.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas Plateau Area, Parts of Garfield and Mesa Counties, Colorado, 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized by this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon(pachic) - the zone from the surface to 23 inches (A1, A2, AB)
Secondary calcium carbonate - zone of carbonate accumulation from 23 to 46 inches (Bk).
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.
The CEC activity class was inferred from laboratory data from similar soils in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.