LOCATION YUBA               UT
Established Series
Rev. LHS-AJE-MJD
05/2004

YUBA SERIES


The Yuba series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in mixed lake sediments. The Yuba soils are on lake terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the mean annual temperature is 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, calcareous, mesic Typic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Yuba silty clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine and few medium roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

C--4 to 12 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)

Cz--12 to 25 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) silty clay loam, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine, very fine and medium roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)

C'1--25 to 46 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 21 inches thick)

C'2--46 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) silty clay loam, light gray (5Y 7/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Millard County, Utah; approximately 2 3/4 miles south of Millard-Juab County line along Sugarville-Hot Springs Road; SE1/4 sec. 17, T.15 S., R.8 W.; lat. 39 degrees 30 minutes 40.82 seconds N. and long. 112 degrees 45 minutes 51.16 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 51 to 54 degrees F. and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 69 to 72 degrees F.

The salt accumulation layer (salic horizon) occurs at depths of 0 to 40 inches. Salt content ranges from 0.3 to 3.5 percent in the profile. Exchangeable sodium is estimated to range from 15 to 60 percent.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak or moderate fine granular, moderate thin platy or moderate coarse subangular blocky structure. This horizon ranges from moderately to very strongly alkaline.

The Bw and C horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3, but predominantly 1 or 2. The 10 to 40 inch control section is silty clay loam or silty clay and averages 35 to 50 percent clay. The C horizon has weak fine medium or coarse subangular blocky to moderate medium subangular blocky structure or is massive. It ranges from moderately to very strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES:
Hanksville (UT) soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.

Notal (NM) soils lack a salic horizon and have mean annual soil temperatures of 52 to 57 degrees F.

Shear (UT) soils lack a salic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Yuba soils are on nearly level lake terraces at elevations of 4,600 to 4,700 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in mixed lake sediments derived from igneous and sedimentary rocks. The climate is arid. The mean annual temperature ranges from 49 to 52 degrees F., the mean summer temperature ranges from 70 to 73 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 115 to 120 days. Average annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abbott, Swasey, and Uffens soils. Abbott soils have distinct or prominent mottles at depths of less than 20 inches or have chroma of 1. Swasey soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section. Uffens soils are sandy clay loam in the control section and have a natric horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. The native vegetation is pickleweed, Nuttall saltbush, halogeton, seepweed, and greasewood.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Millard County, west-central Utah. This series is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Millard County (Delta Area), Utah, 1970.

REMARKS:
This series was last reviewed in the field in 1970. Pending classification issues involve the need to determine if the soil is saturated within 100 cm for 1 month or more in some years. This is based on the mottles described from 12 to 46 inches. The combination of saturation and a salic horizon would result in a Salid placement. The National Soil Information System data for the type location support the current Orthent placement. Apparently the described structure in the C horizons was assumed to be pressure faces of the fine textured lake sediments.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.