LOCATION WATERHILL UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Waterhill loam, on a south facing 6 percent slope under shrubs and grasses at an elevation of 7,140 feet. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft; very friable, slightly plastic and slight sticky; many fine and very fine, few medium roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; very slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium common fine and very fine roots; few medium and coarse, common fine and very fine tubular pores; very slightly effervescent (1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Bk1--14 to 29 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; very slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--29 to 36 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.
Bk3--36 to 47 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated and segregated as common fine veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons range from 23 to 43 inches)
C--47 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few medium, fine, and very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent (4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent), carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Uintah County, Utah; about 3 miles west northwest of Dry Fork cemetary; located about 1,700 feet west and 1,900 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 7, T.3S., R.20E., SLBM; USGS Dry Fork, Utah quadrangle; 40 degrees, 34 minutes, 6 seconds north latitude and 109 degrees, 43 minutes, 3 seconds west longitude; NAD 027.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls throughout the year, with a slight increase in late summer and fall. The moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 23 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 10 to 14 inches
Particle size control section (weighted average): 18 to 27 percent clay
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry
Texture: dominantly loam and less commonly clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: dominantly loam and less commonly clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Boxwell, Conn, Fortbenton, Kremlin, and Littlemo series. A competitors prior to the Seventh Edition, 1996 Keys to Soil Taxonomy is the Anamac series.
Anamac, Conn and Kremlin: have hue yellower than 7.5YR. In addition the Anamac soils have mean annual soil temperatures less than 44 degrees F.
Boxwell soils have a paralithic contact between 20 and 40 in depth.
Fortbenton soils have lithologic discontinuities with silty clay loam layers.
Littlemo soils have lithologic discontinuities with layers that have greater than 35 percent rock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: slope alluvium derived from sandstone, limestone, shale and quartzite
Landscape: fan remnants
Slope: 3 to 15 percent
Elevation: 6,200 to 7,000 feet
Mean annual air temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 16 inches
Frost-free period: 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ironco, Tridell and the Wildmount soils. All these soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section. In addition Tridell and Wildmount soils are on hillslopes and fan remnants and have calcic horizons. Ironco soils are on outwash fans and have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: well drained; low to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used principally for rangeland and wildlife habitat and also for irrigated cropland. Potential vegetation consists of mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, needleandthread, and western wheatgrass. This soil has been correlated to the Upland Loam (Mountain Big Sagebrush) - 047CY310UT range site at the type location in Utah.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Utah; LRR E; MLRA 47. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bw, Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 14 inches (A and Bw horizons).
Secondary calcium carbonate: The presence of secondary calcium carbonate from 14 to 47 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
The CEC activity class was inferred from laboratory data from similar soils in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.
Classification changed from Aridic Haploborolls to frigid Aridic Haplustolls 12/98.
Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.