LOCATION FONTREEN UT+NVEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Typic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Fontreen cobbly loam, rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots; 15 percent cobbles and stones; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Ak1--4 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine roots; few fine pores; 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and some accretion carbonates on the bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Ak2--7 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; few fine pores; 60 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; carbonates are disseminated and segregated on bottom of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bk1--15 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; 60 percent gravel, violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated segregated on rock fragments and in soft flakes and veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bk2--21 to 29 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; few fine pores; 60 percent gravel; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, segregated on rock fragments, and in flakes and veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bk3--29 to 44 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) extremely gravelly loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few fine pores; 65 percent gravel; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, and segregated on rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bk4--44 to 58 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; 70 percent gravel; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated, and segregated on the rock fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C--58 to 66 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; 85 percent gravel; violently effervescent; carbonates are disseminated; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Sanpete County, Utah; about 3 miles east of Sterling, in Funk's Canyon; about 1,600 feet west and 2,800 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 2, T. 19 S., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at 20 inches ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature ranges from 60 to 65 degrees F. The moisture regime is xeric bordering on aridic. The moisture control section is dry for 65 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice.
The mollic epipedon is 7 to 19 inches thick above the calcic horizon. Rock fragments in the particle-size control section range from 35 to 75 percent and are mainly gravel, but some are cobbles and stones. The calcium carbonate equivalent of the particle-size control section is 40 to 55 percent including the carbonate in the rock fragments less than 20 mm.in diameter. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 27 percent clay.
The A horizon is dark grayish brown or grayish brown. It has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline and moderately calcareous or strongly calcareous.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It ranges from very gravelly loam, extremely gravelly loam, or very cobbly loam to gravelly sandy loam or cobbly sandy loam with 35 to 70 percent gravel and cobbles. It is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline and contains 40 to 70 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y value of 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cavehill (NV), Granzan (NV), Highup T(NV), Lizdale T(ID), Lizzant (UT), Lonjon (UT), and Sylvaniam (NV) series. Cavehill, Highup, Lonjon, and Sylvaniam soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Granzan soils are deep to bedrock. Lizdale soils are somewhat excessively drained, have 10 to 18 clay in the particle size control section and extremely gravelly loamy sand C horizons. Lizzant soils have cambic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fontreen soils are on moderately sloping to steep alluvial fans and on steep to very steep hillslopes and mountain slopes at elevations of 5,200 to 8,500 feet. Slopes are 2 to 70 percent. They formed in alluvium-colluvium and residuum from limestone, sandstone, chert and shale. The climate is dry subhumid and the average annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 35 to 45 degrees F. Freeze-free period is commonly 70 to 120 days, but higher elevations have shorter freeze-free periods
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Amtoft, Atepic, Borvant, Clegg, Deer Creek, Lodar, Lundy, Mower, Sanpete and Wales soils. Amtoft, Atepic, Lodar and Lundy soils have a lithic or paralithic contact within 20 inches. Borvant soils have a petrocalcic horizon within 20 inches. Clegg and Deer Creek soils have argillic horizons. Mower soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. Sanpete and Wales soils lack mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately or moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used as rangeland. Potential vegetation is juniper, pinion, Mormon-tea, birchleaf mountainmahogany, bluebunch wheatgrass and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Utah. MLRA 28A, 28B, 34, 47, 82B. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sanpete Area, Utah, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 15 inches (A, Ak1, Ak2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone from 4 to 58 inches (Ak1, Ak2, Bk1, Bk2, Bk3, Bk4 horizons).
Carbonatic feature - the fine earth fraction averages more than 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
This series was reclassified in 9/94 from an Aridic Calcixerolls to a Typic Calcixerolls to better represent the 12 to 16 inch precipitation and upland range sites.