LOCATION WINDWHISTLE UT

Established Series
Rev. DAL/RLM
12/2022

WINDWHISTLE SERIES

The Windwhistle series consists of moderately deep, well drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in sandy eolian materials. Windwhistle soils are on structural benches and cuestas and have slopes of 1 to 10 percent. Average annual precipitation is 12 inches and the mean annual temperature is 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ustic Calciargids

TYPICAL PEDON: Windwhistle very fine sandy loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 2 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to single grained; loose; very friable; few very fine, fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

Bt1--2 to 7 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium platy; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine, many medium roots; common medium and many coarse tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Bt2--7 to 13 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; many fine, common medium and coarse tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)

BCk--13 to 20 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many cicada casts; slightly calcareous; carbonates are in veins and filaments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

Ck1--20 to 25 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) very fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many cicada casts; moderately calcareous; carbonates are in thin coatings on cicada casts; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)

Ck2--25 to 38 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) loamy very fine sand; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, friable; few very fine roots; moderately calcareous; carbonates are in thin coatings on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)

R--38 inches; fractured sandstone.

TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; 3 miles south southeast of Looking Glass Rock; 2,200 feet north and 2,200 feet west of the SE corner of sec. 33, T. 29 S., R. 23 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Thickness of the solum: 12 to 28 inches

Depth to the calcic horizon: 3 to 13 inches

Calcium carbonate equivalent: commonly 8 to 18 percent, but ranges from 6 to 23 percent

The particle-size control section ranges from 15 to 40 percent fine sand or coarser.

Soil moisture: The soil is dry in all parts of the moisture control section 50 to 75 percent of the time that the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches exceeds 41 degrees F. Ustic aridic moisture regime.

A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry and 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

Bt horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: commonly very fine sandy loam, but ranges to fine sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate: The upper part of the Bt horizon is noncalcareous or slightly calcareous and slightly calcareous or moderately calcareous in the lower part.

Ck horizon
Hue: 5YR
Value: 5 through 7 dry and 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 4 through 6
Texture: most commonly is very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam, but ranges to loamy fine sand.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Khapo (NM), Marjane (AZ), Palma (NM) and Vonid (CO) series. Khapo, Palma and Vonid soils are very deep. Marjane soils have calcic horizon that is deeper than 18 inches below the surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Windwhistle soils are on structural benches and cuestas at elevations of 5,200 to 6,800 feet. Slopes are 1 to 10 percent. The soils formed in sandy eolian deposits. The mean annual temperature is about 47 to 54 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is about 9 to 14 inches. The freeze-free period is about 110 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hagerman and Palma soils and the ThumbRock, Begay, Ignacio, Mespun and Pastura soils. ThumbRock, Begay, Ignacio, Mespun and Pastura soils do not have an argillic horizon. Pastura soils have a petrocalcic horizon at a depth of less than 20 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Potential vegetation is Indian ricegrass, needleandthread, blue grama, galleta, big sagebrush, fourwing saltbush and blackbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah. The soils of this series are moderately extensive; their total acreage is about 13,000 acres. MLRA 35 & 39.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canyonlands Area, Grand, San Juan Counties, Utah, 1985. Named after Windwhistle Rock, Draw and Campground in the survey area.

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

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 2 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 2 to 13 inches (Bt horizons)

Calcic horizon The zone from 13 to 38 inches (BCk and Ck horizons)

Lithic contact - The boundary at 28 inches (2R horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.