LOCATION WASATCH UT+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Psammentic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wasatch loamy coarse sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
A2--2 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
AC--11 to 21 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; very weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine and common very fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); slightly more dense than the A2; about 10 percent fine gravel; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
C1--21 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy coarse sand; brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots, few fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); about 15 percent fine gravel; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C2--32 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots, few fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); about 15 percent fine gravel; gradual smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Salt Lake County, Utah; 0.2 miles east of the center of section 20, T. 3 S., R. 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F., and the average summer soil temperature is 70 to 74 degrees F. The soil moisture control section, is dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days in the summer months. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The particle-size control section has 0 to 15 percent rock fragments. Clay content is 1 to 10 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 to 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. The structure is weak, fine and medium granular. Reaction is neutral or slightly acid. Rock fragment content is 0 to 15 percent fine (2 to 5 millimeters) gravel.
In some pedons, the AC horizon has an increase in clay which coats the sand but is not sufficient for a textural Bt horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is stratified sand or loamy coarse sand. This horizon is massive or single grain. Reaction is neutral or slightly acid. Rock fragment content is 0 to 15 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Francis, La Posta, and Layton series.
Francis soils have texture of loamy fine sand or fine sand in the particle-size control section and are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in reaction. La Posta soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Layton soils have horizons with accumulation of secondary carbonates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wasatch soils are on fan remnants and lake terraces. They formed in alluvium derived from metamorphic and igneous rocks. Slopes are 3 to 30 percent. Elevations range from 2,000 to 5,300 feet. The climate is subhumid continental. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches mostly falling in the fall, winter, and early spring. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 52 degrees F., the average summer temperature is 69 to 75 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 140 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cashmere, Draper, Harpt, Knutsen, Payette, Kilburn and Reywat soils. Cashmere, Kilburn and Payette soils are moderately coarse textured. Also Payette soils have weak Bt horizons. Draper soils are medium textured and are somewhat poorly drained. Harpt soils are medium textured. Knutson soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have cambic horizons. Reywat soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section, have a Bt horizon and are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; very low to medium surface runoff; rapid permeability (high or very high saturated hydraulic conductivity).
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland and for cultivated cropland. Native vegetation is Indian ricegrass, needlegrass, sand dropseed, some antelope bitterbrush, rabbitbrush, and big sagebrush. Cultivated crops include berries and orchards.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Utah and southern Idaho. These soils are not extensive with about 6,300 acres of the series mapped to date. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 28A, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 11 in Idaho.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Salt Lake County, Utah, 1936.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 11 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (AC and C1 horizons and parts of the A2 and C2 horizons).
This revision of February 2006 updates the taxonomic class from Sandy, mixed, mesic Entic Haploxerolls based on sandy textures throughout the particle-size control section.