LOCATION WATKINS RIDGE UT+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Watkins Ridge silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common medium and large pores; slightly calcareous with a few fine carbonate fragments; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
A2--4 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; 30 percent cobbles; slightly calcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--12 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common fine and medium pores; 30 percent cobbles; strongly calcareous with secondary soft powdery carbonate; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--20 to 34 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; strongly calcareous; soft powdery secondary carbonate with some weak cementation; mildly alkaline (pH 7.7); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bk3--34 to 46 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/5) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/5) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly calcareous; soft powdery carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (11 to 15 inches thick)
Bk4--46 to 60 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly calcareous with soft powdery carbonate; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; about 10 miles south of Heber; 0.2 miles north of Wallsburg Junction on U.S. Highway 189 and about 2 miles east and north on side road and stock trail; 2,200 feet west and 75 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 35, T. 4 S., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 8 to 18 inches thick. The 10 to 40 inch particle-size control section is loam, silt loam, or clay loam and averages 18 to 35 percent clay and has up to 30 percent cobbles and gravel in some pedons. Strong horizons of carbonate accumulation occur immediately below the A horizon. The mean annual soil temperature is about 45 degrees F. The soil is usually moist but is dry more than 60 consecutive days in all parts of the 4 to 12 inch depth in more than 7 out of 10 years.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist and chroma of 1 to 3. It has weak thick platy or fine granular structure at the surface and weak fine and medium granular or subangular blocky structure below. This horizon is slightly calcareous to strongly calcareous after the upper 7 inches are mixed.
The Bk horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist and chroma of 2 to 5. Textures include loam, silt loam, clay loam, gravelly clay loam and cobbly clay loam. The Bk horizon is mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline and moderately calcareous to very strongly calcareous with soft powdery carbonate and some weak cementation in some subhorizons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Vanni series is similar but it has more than 40 percent calcium carbonate in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Watkins Ridge soils are on foothills and mountainsides at elevations of 5,500 to 7,300 feet. Slopes gradients are 2 to 35 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium. The climate is moist subhumid with average annual precipitation of 14 to 20 inches falling mostly as snow. The mean annual temperature is about 42 to 44 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is about 63 degrees F. The average freeze-free period is about 60 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Canburn, Clegg, Deer Creek, Dennot, Lizzant and Toehead soils. Clegg soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick and have argillic horizons overlying calcic horizons. Deer Creek soils have fine textured argillic horizons with more than 35 percent clay overlying the calcic horizons and the upper boundary of the Bt horizon has an abrupt textural change. Lizzant and Dennot soils have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section. Canburn soils have a mollic epipedon more than 24 inches thick. Toehead soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland for spring-fall grazing by livestock and wildlife and for watershed. Native plants include bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, native bluegrasses, needleandthread grass, western wheatgrass, dryland sedges, Letterman needlegrass, balsam root, lupine, buckwheat, big sagebrush, bitterbrush, serviceberry, oakbrush, and birchleaf mountainmahogany.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cool mountain valleys of northern Utah. MLRA 47. This series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete Area, Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 12 inches. (A1 and A2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone of carbonate accumulation below approximately 12 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, Bk3 and Bk4 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.