LOCATION KAPOD UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kapod very cobbly loam--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thick platy and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; about 50 percent cobbles and gravel, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11inches thick)
A2--6 to 13 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely cobbly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; about 60 percent cobbles and gravel, and 5 to 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; many thin clay films on faces of peds; slight effervescence; about 70 percent cobbles and gravel, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--18 to 31 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few fine pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; about 70 percent cobbles and gravel, and 5 percent stones; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
Bk--31 to 52 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam; pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; about 70 percent gravel; violent effervescent; carbonates are in veins; mildly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 35 inches thick)
C--52 to 66 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent gravel; violent effervescence; mildly alkaline (pH 7.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Box Elder County, Utah; about 2 miles west of Garland Cemetery; 1,600 feet south and 160 feet west of the north 1/4 corner, sec. 29, T. 12 N., R. 3 W., SLBM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at 20 inches is 47 to 51 degrees F; the mean summer soil temperature is about 68 degrees F. The soil moisture regime is Xeric bordering on Aridic.
The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. Secondary carbonates are at a depth of 20 to 33 inches. The particle-size control section is 35 to 75 percent rock fragments.
The A horizon has value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is very cobbly, gravelly,or stony loam. Rock fragment content is 15 to 60 percent. Reaction is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is very cobbly sandy clay loam, very cobbly loam, very cobbly clay loam, very gravelly loam, very gravelly clay loam, extremely gravelly clay loam, extremely gravelly loam, extremely cobbly loam or extremely cobbly sandy clay loam. Clay content is 20 to 35 percent. Rock fragment content is 35 to 75 percent. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline. It is noncalcareous to moderately calcareous in the lower parts. It has few to continuous and thin to moderately thick clay films on faces of peds.
The Bk and C horizons have values of 6 or 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is extremely gravelly loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very cobbly sandy loam, and very cobbly sandy clay loam. Clay content is 10 to 27 percent. Rock fragment content is 35 to 70 percent. Reaction is mildly alkaline to strongly alkaline. They are strongly effervescent to violently effervescent. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 15 to 40 percent in the Bk horizon. Electrical conductivity of the saturation extract is 0 to 2 mmhos per centimeter. Some pedons are weakly cemented.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Butterfield (UT), Red Butte (UT), Schuelke (WA) and Tannahill (ID) series. Butterfield and Schuelke soils have a lithic contact between depths of 20 and 40 inches. Red Butte soils have a depth to the calcic of 13 to 20 inches and depth to base of Bt is 13 to 20 inches. Tannahill soils are 40 to 60 inches deep to basalt bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Kapod soils are at elevations of 4,500 to 6,500 feet. Slopes are 2 to 50 percent. The soils occur on sloping to moderately steep fan remnants, mountain slopes, hills and lake terraces formed in alluvium derived dominantly from sandstone, quartzite and limestone. The climate is dry subhumid. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F, and the freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Birdow, DeJarnet, Forsgren, Kidman, Parleys, Timpanogos and Yeates Hollow soils and the competing Bingham and Middle soils. Birdow and DeJarnet soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick and lack argillic horizons. Forsgren soils have clay argillic horizons. Kidman soils have fine sandy loam control sections with less than 20 percent gravel. Parleys soils have clay loam argillic horizons and lack coarse fragments. Timpanogos soils have silt loam or loam argillic horizons and lack coarse fragments. Yeates Hollow soils have clay argillic horizons and have more than 35 percent coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland. Small acreages of this soil near Tooele are used for non-irrigated alfalfa. The native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, Great Basin wildrye, bitterbrush, western wheatgrass, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern and Central Utah. This soil is moderately extensive. MLRA 25 and 28A.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County, East Box Elder Soil Survey Area, Utah, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone of dark colored soil material from the soil surface to a depth of 18 inches. (A1, A2 and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone of clay accumulation from 13 to 31 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the layer of carbonate accumulation. The zone from 31 to 52 inches. (Bk horizon)
In Utah this series is correlated with upland range sites.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.