LOCATION BLUECHIEF UT+AZ CO NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluechief fine sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine pores; slightly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 17 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; moderately calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bw2--17 to 25 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine, common fine and few medium pores; moderately calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
C--25 to 38 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine pores; strongly calcareous, carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (11 to 13 inches thick)
R--38 inches; sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: San Juan County, Utah; about 2 miles north of North Sixshooter Peak; 1,500 feet south and 1,500 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 19, T. 30 S., R. 21 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The soils are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 75 to 85 percent of the time (cumulative) that the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is greater than 41 degrees F. Driest during May and June. Typic aridic soil moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 52 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to calcic horizon - 6 to 25 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 30 to 40 inches but ranges from 20 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section ranges - 8 to 17 percent clay.
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 0 to 10 percent in the A and Bw horizon and 15 to 40 percent in the C horizon.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, sandy loam
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
C or Bk horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sandy loam
Reaction: moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
Rock Fragments: 0 to 20 percent gravel
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Boreham (UT), Hiko Springs (UT), Kaito (AZ) Kinan (AZ), McCutchen (NV), Moffat (UT), Nakai (UT), Nakoy (UT), Nolava (UT), Nuahs (NV), Pagina (AZ), Riemod (UT), and Trook (WY) series. Boreham, Hiko Springs, Kinan, McCutchen, Moffat, Nakoy, Nolava, Nuahs, and Riemod soils are very deep. Kaito soils are deep to bedrock. Nakai and Pagaina soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Trook soils are moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bluechief soils are on benches and fan terraces at elevations of 4,000 to 5,800 feet. Slopes are 1 to 15 percent. The soils formed in sandy eolian deposits and alluvium. The mean annual air temperature is 50 to 57 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is 5 to 10 inches. The average freeze-free period is 150 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Monue and Nakai soils and the Neskahi, Schooner and Sheppard soils. Schooner soils have a lithic contact at depth less than 20 inches. Neskahi and Sheppard soils are very deep. Neskahi soils have an irregular decrease in organic carbon. Sheppard soils have a sandy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation is galleta, red threeawn, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, blackbrush, fourwing saltbush and shadscale.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Utah, Northeastern Arizona, and Southwestern Colorado, MLRA 35. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canyonlands Area, San Juan and Grand Counties, Utah, 1983.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 25 to 38 inches (C horizon)
Lithic contact the boundary at 38 inches (R horizon)
The presence of a diagnostic calcic is questionable due to no secondary forms
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
Updates and revisions for the correlation of Ft. Defiance Area (AZ715), February 26, 2008, CEM.