LOCATION WELRING                 UT+CO MT NV WY

Established Series
Rev. RSJ/MJD/JBF
08/2011

WELRING SERIES

The Welring series consists of shallow, well drained soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone with influence from quartzite or sandstone. Welring soils are on mountain sideslopes and toeslopes. Slopes are 3 to 80 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Lithic Ustorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Welring very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)The surface is covered with 50 percent gravel

A--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure that parts to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and many very fine vesicular and tubular pores; 50 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--8 to 20 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam; brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few fine and medium, and common very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; slightly calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 36 cm thick)

C1--20 to 36 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine, medium and very fine roots; few fine and medium, and common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; moderately calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 28 cm thick)

C2--36 to 48 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and many very fine tubular pores; 75 percent gravel; moderately calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

R--48 cm; fractured limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Utah; 1 1/2 miles southeast of the T.V. relay tower in Beaver Dam mountains; 2,640 feet east of the southwest corner of sec 9, T. 42 S., R. 18 W.; 37 degrees 8 minutes 20 seconds N and longitude 113 degrees 52 minutes 11 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in some part during the late winter and spring and periodically throughout the summer and early fall due to convection storms; ustic soil moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C.
mean summer temperature: 18 to 21 degrees C.
Depth to bedrock: 25 to 50 cm.
Calcium carbonate equivalent, including lime in rock fragments less than 20 mm in diameter: 40 to 80 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: Average 15 to 25 percent.
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent in the upper layers and increases to 70 to 90 percent near the bedrock, consists of gravel, channers and cobbles.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.

C horizons
hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
value: 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
chroma: 2 through 5.
Textures: Fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam, clay loam, or loam.
Modifiers: Very gravelly, gravelly, extremely gravelly or very channery.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Welring soils are on mountain sideslopes and toeslopes. Slopes are 3 to 80 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from limestone, quartzite and sandstone. Elevations range from 1,405 to 2,200 meters. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 300 to 400 mm. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 7 to 11 degrees C. The frost free period is 90 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Motoqua, Mokiak, and Tortugas soils. Motoqua and Mokiak soils have argillic horizons and have mixed mineralogy. Tortugas soils have a mollic epipedon. Mokiak soils are 76 to 100 cm deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. Vegetation is pinyon, juniper, serviceberry, cliffrose, manzanita, big sagebrush, desert almond, Apache plume, tall native bluegrass, cheatgrass and Spanish dagger.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah and eastern Nevada; MLRA 35; These soils are moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Utah, 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the layer from the surface to 8 cm (A horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary with hard bedrock at 4 cm (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 48 cm (C1, C2 and part of Bw horizon)

December 1994 the classification was changed from Lithic Ustic Torriorthents to Lithic Ustorthents.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.