LOCATION ESCALANTE UT+ID NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Escalante sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common coarse, medium, and fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates are disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 16 inches thick)
BA--5 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common coarse, many fine and very fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bk1--11 to 26 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, fine and very fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates are disseminated and occur in few fine flecks; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 33 inches, combined Bk horizons)
Bk2--26 to 33 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots; many medium, common fine and very fine pores; strongly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary.
C--33 to 55 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common medium, fine and very fine pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly effervescent, secondary calcium carbonates are disseminated and coat rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 33 inches thick)
2C--55 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly coarse sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; many medium, few fine and very fine pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Iron County, Utah; about 2.5 miles southeast of Beryl Junction, about 50 feet south and 2,000 feet west of the east 1/4 corner of sec. 9, T. 36 S., R. 16 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry; moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall except for 10 to 20 days cumulative between July and October due to rainfall from convection storms; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 47 to 54 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature: 67 to 75 degrees F.
Depth to carbonates: Throughout the profile.
Depth to calcic horizon: 3 to 25 inches.
Depth to the base of the calcic horizon: 25 to more than 60 inches.
Other features: Very gravelly or extremely gravelly layers are deeper than 40 inches or more.
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Bk and BA horizon (when present)::
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or very fine sandy loam; some pedons have thin subhorizons of sandy clay loam, loamy sand or silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline; slightly alkaline in the BA horizon in some pedons.
Structure: Massive or subangular blocky.
Consistence: Soft to hard dry, friable to firm moist, nonsticky to moderately sticky, nonplastic or slightly plastic.
Salinity: Non-saline or very slightly saline.
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, are most typical; some pedons have subhorizons of very fine sandy loam, silt loam, or sandy clay loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 35 percent gravel.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 30 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
2C horizon (when present):
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist.
Texture: coarse sand, sand, or fine sand
Rock fragments: 5 to 60 percent gravel.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adkins(WA), Atlanta(NV), Bertelson(UT), Briabbit(ID), Crestline(UT), Declo(ID), Eoyote(ID), Kecko(ID), Sagehill(WA), Somsen(ID), and Strevell(ID) series. Adkins soils have 5 to 15 percent calcium carbonate in the calcic horizon. Atlanta soils have very gravelly or extremely gravelly horizons within the control section. Bertelson soils are influenced by tuff and have a bulk density of less than 1.2. Briabbit soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Crestline soils have cambic horizons and the control section averages gravelly sandy loam. Declo soils have laminated lacustrine deposits within depths of 25 to 40 inches. Eoyote soils do not receive intermittent summer precipitation. Kecko soils have cambic horizons and are not calcareous above 20 inches. Sagehill soils have cambic horizons and are stratified in the lower part of the Bk horizon. Somsen soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Strevell soils moderately deep to loamy-skeletal horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Escalante soils are on alluvial flats, lake plains, inset fans, fan aprons, fan skirts, and fan remnants. They formed in alluvium derived from igneous and sedimentary rocks. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 2,300 to 7,000 feet. The climate is semiarid-continental with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F., and the mean summer temperature is 65 to 72 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Antelope Springs, Beryl, Heist, Taylorsflat, and Uvada soils. Antelope Springs and Uvada soils have natric horizons. Antelope Springs soils have more than 18 percent clay and Uvada soils have more than 35 percent clay and natric horizons and occur at slightly lower positions on the landscape. Beryl soils do not have calcic horizons and have some silica cementation. Heist soils do not have calcic horizons and are gravelly in the particle-size control section. Taylorsflat soils are fine-loamy in the particle-size control section. Beryl, Heist, and Taylorsflat soils are intermixed with the Escalante soils on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to medium surface runoff; moderate or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Escalante soils are used mainly for livestock grazing, but small areas are cultivated. Present vegetation is Douglas rabbitbrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, broom snakeweed, Indian ricegrass, sand dropseed, and bottlebrush squirreltail.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah and Southern Idaho. This series is moderately extensive. MLRAs 11, 25, 28A.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County (Beryl-Enterprise Survey Area), Utah, 1942.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (Bk1, Bk2, and parts of the BA and C horizons)
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 7 inches. (A horizon and part of the BA horizon)
Calcic horizon: The zone from 11 to 33 inches. (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)