LOCATION WHIPSTOCK UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Whipstock cobbly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many fine and medium roots; 35 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A12--2 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly heavy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium pores; 35 percent gravel and cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
A3--10 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) cobbly light clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium pores; thin clay films as bridging between sand grains; 35 percent gravel and cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
B21t--21 to 37 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) cobbly heavy clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine pores; thick continuous clay films, common manganese concretions; 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)
B22t--37 to 49 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) cobbly heavy clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and Very plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine pores; few thin organic stains, and thick continuous clay films; 25 percent cobbles; moderately calcareous, few lime veins; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
B23tca--49 to 59 inches; same as the horizon above except for more veins, splotches and pockets of lime accumulation; 40 percent cobbles; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C1ca--S9 to 69 inches; pink (5YR 7/3) extremely cobbly clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; 70 percent cobbles and gravel; strongly calcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5). Some tongues of the B horizon occur in this horizon.
TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; about 15 miles southeast of Heber; from junction of Right Fork and Left Fork of Hobble Creek, follow side road 1.6 miles to the U. S. Forest fence; 400 feet west and 65 feet north of the SE corner of section 32, T. 5 S., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The concentration of soft powdery lime is most evident below depth of 48 inches but some lime veins and flecks occur at depths of 36 to 48 inches. Rock fragments range from 20 to 35 percent in the A and upper B2t horizon and increase to 40 percent in the lower part of the B2t and to 75 percent in the Cca horizon. The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature is about 63 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry for more than 60 consecutive days in all parts of the 4- to 12-inch depth in more than 7 out of 10 years.
The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. It is neutral or slightly acid.
The B2t horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4. It has strong medium or coarse angular blocky structure and is neutral or slightly acid. Manganese concretions are common in the upper part of the B2t horizon. The upper 20 inches of the horizon contain more than 60 percent clay. The texture change from A to B2t is more than 20 percent increase in clay within a vertical distance of 3 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Deer Creek, Dry Creek and Yeates Hollow series. Deer Creek soils have clay B2t horizons containing 35 to 60 percent clay overlying strong lime horizons at depths of about 30 to 36 inches. Dry Creek and Yeates Hollow soils have cobbly argillic horizons containing more than 35 percent rock fragments and 35 to 60 percent clay. Also, Yeates Hollow soils lack horizons of lime accumulation within depth of 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whipstock soils occur on sloping alluvial fans and very steep mountain slopes having gradients of 5 to 60 percent. They formed in alluvium and residuum derived from sedimentary parent rocks mainly argillaceous shale, sandstone and some quartzite. Elevations are 5,600 to 6,800 feet. The climate is moist subhumid with an average annual precipitation of 18 to 25 inches, falling mostly as snow. The mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Deer Creek and Yeates Hollow soils and the Henefer soils. Henefer soils lack horizons of lime accumulation within depth of 60 inches and have 35 to 60 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland, wildlife habitat, and for watershed. Native plants are big sagebrush, oakbrush, bitterbrush, serviceberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, western wheatgrass and native bluegrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain areas of north-central Utah. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Heber Valley Area, Wasatch County, Utah, 1972.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state 6/76.