Ecological site group description

Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.

Physiography

Site is deep soils that occurs on summits and risers of fan terraces and structural benches of plateaus. This site does not benefit from run-in moisture, nor does it suffer from excessive runoff. The slopes is generally 1 to 15%, but may be steeper in spots.

Climate

Area has a very dry and windy climate that is hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Average annual precipitation is from 6 to 10 inches. Soil moisture regime is typic aridic and the soil temperature regime is mesic. A slight majority of the precipitation arrives during the late fall, winter, and early spring. this winter season moisture originates in the Pacific Ocean and arrives as rain, or sometimes snow, during widespread frontal storms of generally low intensity. The majority of the snow falls from December through February, but rarely lasts more than a few days. The driest period is from late May to early July. Summer rains occur from July through September during brief intense local thunderstorms. The rain is sporadic in intensity and location. Windy conditions are common year round with the strongest most frequently in the spring.

Soil features

Soils on this site are deep and very deep, 20 to 60 inches . Surface textures are loamy sand to sandy loam. Subsurface textures are loamy fine sand to fine sandy loam. They are formed in alluvium and eolian from sandstone and siltstone from Navajo sandstone and Jurassic age formations. Moisture regime is Typic Aridic and temperature regime is Mesic.

Vegetation dynamics

Community 1.1 Blackbrush - Fourwing saltbush: The dominant aspect of this site is a low shrub (blackbrush and fourwing saltbush), mixed with grasses (Indian ricegrass, galleta and sand dropseed).

Community 2.1
Blackbrush - Mormon tea with Annuals
This plant community is dominated by blackbrush, mormon tea with rabbitbrush and/or snakeweed. Perennial grasses are sparse and only present in small amounts. Common grasses found are galleta, sand dropseed and Indian ricegrass. Annuals grasses and forbs, both native and non-native, are present in small to moderate amounts. There are moderate amounts of bare ground (60-85%) due to reduce perennial herbaceous cover. Annuals can make up to 25% of the the total plant communities composition.

Major Land Resource Area

MLRA 035X
Colorado Plateau

Subclasses

• R035XB235AZ–Sandy Loam Upland 6-10" p.z. Warm
• R035XY121UT–Desert Sandy Loam (Blackbrush)
• R035XY235UT–Semidesert Very Shallow Gravelly Loam (Utah Juniper)

Correlated Map Unit Components

22397547, 22397545, 22397512

Stage

Provisional

Contributors

Curtis Talbot