LOCATION WINDMILL UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Xeric Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Windmill gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Al--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; about 30 percent fine gravel; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; about 35 percent fine gravel; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 17 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 35 percent fine gravel; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Cl--17 to 23 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 35 percent fine gravel; very strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
C2--23 to 44 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly loamy very fine sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 45 percent fine gravel; very strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
C3--44 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loamy very fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; about 40 percent fine gravel; very strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Box Elder County, Utah; about 5 miles west of Corinne; 850 feet south and 675 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 19, T.10N., R.3W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is about 51 degrees F.; the mean summer temperature at the 20 inch depth is 71 degrees F. The soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for more than one-half of the time during the period the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. and are continually dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days in all parts of the moisture control section during the summer months. They are moist for 60 consecutive days out of the 120 days following the winter solstice in 7 out of 10 years.
The ochric epipedon is 3 to 12 inches thick. Depth to the C horizon is 12 to 21 inches. There are fine pebbles 1/8 to 1/2 inch in diameter on the surface and throughout the profile. Coarse fragment content ranges from 30 to 50 percent in individual layers, but averages about 40 percent in the control section. Coarse fragments are dominantly limestone. The control section averages very gravelly sandy loam. Organic matter content averages more than 1 percent throughout the top 15 inches. Calcium carbonate equivalent in the whole soil, including coarse fragments, is more than 40 percent in the control section.
The A horizon has value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 and 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. The values of 4 and 5 dry and 3 moist occur only in the upper 2 to 6 inches. The A horizon is moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline and moderately to strongly calcareous. It is 3 to 12 inches thick.
The Bw horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. It is gravelly loam or silt loam with 20 to 40 percent fine gravel. It is moderately to strongly alkaline and moderately to strongly calcareous.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, but mainly 10YR, value of 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist and chroma of 2 through 4. It is gravelly silt loam to gravelly loamy very fine sand, but mainly gravelly fine sandy loam, containing 30 to 50 percent fine gravel. It is moderately to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adkins, Blue Star, Cleman, Crestline, Deschutes, Eccles, Escalante, Haybourne, Hupp, Metolius, Prosser, Royal, Sandall, Sanpete, Stingal, Sterling and Wiehl series. Adkins, Cleman, Deschutes, Crestline, Haybourne, Metolius, Prosser, Royal, Wiehl, Stingal and Blue Star soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section. Blue Star, Sterling nd Hupp soils have mollic epipedons. Eccles and Escalante soils have less than 15 percent coarse fragments. Sandall, Sanpete, Sterling, Eccles and Escalante soils have calcic horizons. Sandall soils are 20 to 40 inches deep over bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Windmill soils occur on nearly level to steep, 1 to 20 percent, convex slopes of alluvial fans, off shore bars and dissected lake terraces at elevations of 4,300 to 5,200 feet. They formed in mixed alluvium and beach deposits, dominantly from limestone and some quartzite. The climate is dry subhumid. Mean annual temperature is about 47 to 49 degrees F. and mean summer temperature is about 67 to 70 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 11 to 13 inches. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hansel, Thiokol soils, and the competing Sterling, Hupp and Stingal soils. Hansel soils have argillic horizons and are nongravelly. Thiokol soils have less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand, more than 18 percent clay in the control section and lack coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium or slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and nonirrigated crops. The native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, rabbitbrush, annual weeds and some juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Utah. These soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County (East Box Elder Area), Utah, 1969.