LOCATION WELRING UT+CO MT NV WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, mesic Lithic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Welring very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak thick platy structure that parts to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and many very fine vesicular and tubular pores; 50 percent of the surface is covered with gravel; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 8 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam; brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium, fine and very fine roots; few fine and medium, and common very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel; slightly calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
C1--8 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine, medium and very fine roots; few fine and medium, and common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel; moderately calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (O to 11 inches thick)
C2--14 to 19 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few medium and many very fine tubular pores; 75 percent gravel; moderately calcareous, lime is disseminated; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
R--19 inches; fractured limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Utah; 1 1/2 miles southeast of the T.V. relay tower in Beaver Dam mountains; 2,640 feet east of the southwest corner of sec 9, T. 42 S., R. 18 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 50 degrees to 54 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature from 65 degrees to 70 degrees F. The soil moisture regime is ustic bordering on aridic.
Depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Gravel, channers and cobbles cover 40 to 80 percent of the surface. Gravel, channer and cobble content in the control section ranges from 35 to 60 percent in the upper layers and increases to 70 to 90 percent near the bedrock. Calcium carbonate equivalent, including lime in rock fragments less than 20 mm in diameter, ranges from 40 to 80 percent. The soil is mildly to moderately alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist and chroma of 2 through 4. Textures are very cobbly fine sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very channery loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, very stony sandy loam, very gravelly clay loam, or very gravelly silt loam. Rock fragments range from 20 to 50 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 5. Textures are very gravelly and gravelly fine sandy loam, very gravelly loam, gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly silt loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly clay loam, or very channery loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Welring soils are on mountain sideslopes and toeslopes. Slopes are 3 to 80 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from limestone, quartzite and sandstone. Elevations range from 4,600 to 7,200 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 52 degrees F. The frost free period is 90 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Motoqua, Mokiak, and Tortugas soils. Motoqua and Mokiak soils have argillic horizons and have mixed mineralogy. Tortugas soils have a mollic epipedon. Mokiak soils are 30 to 40 inches deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderate and moderately rapid permeability to bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. Vegetation is pinyon, juniper, serviceberry, cliffrose, manzanita, big sagebrush, desert almond, Apache plume, tall native bluegrass, cheatgrass and Spanish dagger.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Utah and eastern Nevada; MLRA 35; These soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Utah, 1972.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the layer from 0 to 3 inches.
Lithic contact - the boundary with hard bedrock at about 19 inches.
December 1994 the classification was changed from Lithic Ustic Torriorthents to Lithic Ustorthents.