LOCATION WILDCOW                 UT

Established Series
Rev. RJL/MJD/SJJ
01/2015

WILDCOW SERIES


The Wildcow series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium derived from shale. Wildcow soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes range from 50 to 80 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Typic Argicryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wildcow loam, on a north facing, linear to concave, 51 percent slope in Douglas fir at an elevation of 8,400 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inches; Surface covered with 1 inch of undecomposed needles and twigs.

A1--1 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine and medium, few coarse roots; many very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary.

A2--6 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many very fine, common fine, few medium and coarse tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A horizons range from 7 to 15 inches thick)

Bt--16 to 29 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse tubular pores; common discontinuous distinct clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

BC--29 to 49 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 10 percent channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

C--49 to 61 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent channers; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Grand County, Utah; about 1 mile south of the confluence of She Canyon and Buck Canyon; located about 3,300 feet north and 2,600 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 1, T.19S., R.20E., SLBM; Bogart Canyon, Utah USGS quad; lat. 39 degrees 11 minutes 9 seconds N. and long. 109 degrees 39 minutes 42 seconds W., NAD 27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is affected by precipitation that falls evenly through the year with a slight increase in late summer and early fall. Udic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature: 40 to 44 degrees F.
Mean annual summer soil temperature: 45 to 58 degrees F.
Particle-size control section: 27 to 35 percent clay
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 15 inches

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

Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5 YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers from shale

C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers from shale

COMPETING SERIES: Current competitors are the Accola, Amsden, Barbarela, Buffork, Cific, Hourglass, Inchau, Leavitt, Monida (T), Philipsburg, Zade series. Competitors prior to the Seventh Edition, 1996 Keys to Soil Taxonomy are the Coldspring, Croftshaw, Croydon, Dra, Gebson, Gelkie, Kezar, Kittredge, Lucky, Lymanson, Lyonman, Michelson, Miracle, Monaberg (T), Morset, Mult, Newlands, Oro Fino, Passcreek, Primeaux, Rainbolt, Rammel, Shotgun, Sponsor (T), Swede, Tingey, Tripit, Troutdale, Wellsville, Woosley, and Youga series.

Accola, Monida: have calcic horizons

Amsden, Gebson, Gelkie, Leavitt, Michelson, Morset, Oro Fino, Philipsburg, Tingey, and Wellsville: have horizons with secondary accumulations of calcium carbonate.

Barbarela, Buffork, Cific, Inchau, Lymanson, Rainbolt, Tripit, Troutdale, and Zade: have paralithic contacts at depths of 20 to 40 inches.

Coldspring, Croydon, Newlands: have lithic contacts at depths of 40 to 60 inches.

Croftshaw: have mean annual soil temperatures less than 40 degrees F.

Dra, Kezar, Lucky, Miracle, Mult, Passcreek, Primeaux, Rammel, Shotgun, and Woosley: have lithic contacts at depths of 20 to 40 inches.

Hourglass: have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, and have mean annual soil temperatures less than 40 degrees F.

Kitteredge: have flat mica platelets present in the profile.

Lyonman: have paralithic contacts below 40 inches

Monaberg: has granitic and metamorphic parent material and has pH values less than 7.4.

Sponsor: have hues redder than 7.5YR in the Bt horizon and mean annual soil temperatures less than 40 degrees F.

Swede: have a xeric moisture pattern and includes medium acid reactions.

Youga: have rock fragments derived from materials other than shale and have soil moisture control sections influenced by peaks periods of precipitation in the spring and later summer.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: colluvium derived from shale
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 50 to 80 percent
Elevation: 7,200 to 9,100 feet
Aspect: northerly
Mean annual air temperature: 38 to 43 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 22 to 28 inches
Frost-free period: 50 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buckcamp, Soward, and Tosca series.

Buckcamp soils occur on south facing mountain slopes and have bedrock from 40 to 60 inches in depth.

Soward soils occur on stream terraces, are coarse-loamy, and very deep.

Tosca soils occur on south facing mountain slopes, are loamy-skeletal, and have a calcic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, high runoff, moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are wildlife habitat, and recreation. The potential native plant community is quaking aspen, Douglas fir, snowberry, Oregon-grape, mountainlover, bluebrass, needlegrass, wheatgrass, and needlegrass. This soil has been correlated to High Mountain Very Steep Loam (Douglas Fir) - 048AY530UT range site at the type location in Utah.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Utah. LRR E, MLRA 48A. This series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uintah County, Uintah Area Soil Survey, Utah. 1998. The name taken from a nearby geographic location.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle-size control section: The zone from 16 to 29 inches. (Bt horizon)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 1 to 16 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 16 to 29 inches. (Bt horizon)

This soil is located at elevations transitioning from Typic Ustic to Udic soil moisture regimes. At these elevations Typic Ustic plant communities are observed on southerly aspects and Udic plant communities are observed on northerly aspects. Wildcow soils are found predominantly on northerly aspects and has been correlated to High Mountain range sites and Udic moisture regime.

The cation exchange activity class was inferred from laboratory data in the Uintah Area Soil Survey.

The classification was changed from Argic Cryoborolls to Typic Argicryolls 12/98.

Taxonomic version: Eighth Edition, 1998.

ADDITIONAL DATA:


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.