LOCATION FITZGERALD UT+COEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Mollic Palecryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fitzgerald gravelly loam--native conifer. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
01--2 inches to 0; needle litter.
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium and coarse roots; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse granular structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium and coarse roots; thin patchy gray coating on some peds; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
E--9 to 26 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine, few medium and coarse roots; vesicular pores; 50 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
B/E--26 to 45 inches; Bt portion about 80 percent brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse parting to fine blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium, few large roots; common fine pores; common thin clay films; 55 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); the E portion occurs as tongues and coatings on Bt peds and on rock fragments; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 30 inches thick)
Bt--45 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 80 percent angular gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasatch County, Utah; 11.2 miles southeast from the center of Heber City up Center Creek Road and 7/8 miles southeast of Center Creek Reservoir; 1,000 feet south and 320 feet west of northeast corner of sec. 32, T. 4 S., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The combined thickness of the A, E, and Bt horizons range from 38 to 60 inches. The upper boundary of the Bt horizon is below 24 inches. Rock fragments are mainly angular gravel and cobble, but includes stones and boulders in some pedons. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 36 to 42 degrees F., and mean summer soil temperature at a depth of about 20 inches ranges from 49 to 58 degrees F. The soils are usually moist, but are dry in parts of the A, E, and Bt horizons for about 30 days during the summer.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak or moderate, fine to coarse granular or subangular blocky structure. This horizon is slightly acid to strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It ranges from very gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam or cobbly sandy loam to stony sandy loam or very cobbly sandy loam with 20 to 70 percent gravel and cobbles, and up to 5 percent stones. This horizon has weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular structure or is single grain. It is slightly acid to strongly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. It ranges from very gravelly sandy clay loam to very stony sandy clay loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam with 50 to 90 percent cobbles and gravel and up to 5 percent stones. This horizon has weak to moderate, fine to coarse subangular blocky structure. It ranges from slightly acid to strongly acid. Clay films are few to many, thin to moderately thick on peds and in pores.
COMPETING SERIES: The only other soil in this family is the Loggert series. Loggert soils have reddish Bt horizons and are drier.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fitzgerald soils are on moderately steep undulating cirques and very steep north-facing mountainsides at elevations of 7,000 to 10,500 feet. Slope gradients are 8 to 65 percent. The soils formed in colluvium from mixed sedimentary and igneous rocks. The climate is humid and the average annual precipitation is 25 to 40 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 34 to 40 degrees F., and mean summer temperature is about 55 to 58 degrees F. The freeze-free period is about 70 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cluff, Daybell and Duchesne soils. Daybell soils have mollic epipedons more than 16 inches thick and lack fines sufficient to fill the voids over 1 mm. in size in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Duchesne soils lack tonguing of the albic horizon into the argillic horizon. Cluff soils have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as watershed, timber production, and for limited grazing for livestock and wildlife. The present vegetation is overstory of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, white fir, Douglas-fir, and scattered aspen. There is very limited understory vegetation consisting of ninebark and mountain myrtle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: High mountain areas of northern Utah. This series is not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lakewood, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Heber Valley Area, Utah, 1972.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 9 inches. (A1, A2 horizons)
Albic horizon - the zone between 9 and 26 inches (E horizon)
Argillic horizon -the zone between 45 and 60 inches. (Bt horizons)
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state 7/86.