Show BEAR RIVER SOILS surveys comprehensive TREATISE AXI AND DIAGRAMS ISSUED BY BUREAU OF SOILS f AN interesting INTE BESTING ARTICLE advance sheets showing work done in bear river valley by y jensen a and are out by charles A jensen and A T SO aborn continued from last issue the area surveyed ed lies near the northern limit of what was formerly lake bonneville this lake covering in early geologic times about two thirds of the western part of utah with a narrow strip of eastern nevada and extending a short distance into idaho on the north originally the upper shore of lake bonneville was about 1000 feet above the present level of great salt lake and with the exception of a drop of feet due to an early outlet northward into snake river this whole body of water has gradually evaporated leaving the present great salt lake utah lake and sevier lake lake bonneville lay wholly within the great basin which includes practically all of the state of nevada three fourths of the western part of utah a small corner of southeastern idaho and southwestern wyoming and much of southern oregon and southern california the wasatch range in the area surveyed is composed almost entirely of limestone and primary and secondary quartzite with some shale the former two overlay each other in ill alternate ternate il layers this range has been greatly flexed anil and broken forming in several places practically perpendicular cular wills walls of limestone and quartzite hundreds of 0 feet high facing the valley and showing dips of 50 deg to CO 60 dg deg nort northward hilard in a few places the dil Is southward little mountain and the mountains mounil ns on the west side of the tha valley are also composed chiefly of limestone and quartzite the wasatch ranse range is broken just east of brigham Brigha iii by box elder canyon and the creek issuing from this canyon has formed quite an extensive delta on which brigham is located other small and less important aelyas have been formed all along the slopes slope of these mountains by wash from intermittent streams aftel lake bonneville had been confined to salt lal lake valley devalley the waters from bear river including the cache vall valley ey streams flowed into bear river vaney valley at the present entrance of bear aher making deep deposits of soil in the northern end of the valley valles consisting of fine sandy loam fine sand and sand these deposits t were vere later laier capped by clay loam and clay when the flowing waters were less in volume and the lake was waa shallower As the lale lake receded dear bear river gradually cut its way into its own deposits until at present the channel varies in depth from a few feet at cobinne to perhaps feet enear the mouth of the candon cans on ma aad aad river cut a chained in ill these same deposits varying in depth from 10 to 50 feet within the area bur surveyed burneed veed this latter river however has not been an agent in soil oil formation in the bear river valley numerous beds of 0 shells exist in the northern part ot of the valley and are sometimes out cut into in canal excavations SOILS thirteen soil aylies were recognized in fr the ilic atea abea surveyed el JORDAN JORDA LOAM the jordan loani Is 19 a tape ot of soil established in an cailler survey in this state and Is of considerable e ex tent in bear river valley As map ped in this area I 1 it t consists of 12 inches of gray heavy fine sandy loam underlain to it a depth ot of from 2 to 3 A feet with loam which becomes heavier with increased depth this point the subsoil consists of a clay loam which usually grades into clay at from 4 to 6 feet in small mail meas of local depression the third toot foot becomes clay which continues to 6 feet Ther therease eare two general areas of this type one and by far the largest lies in the northern part ot ok the valley en tending lending from the north end of little mountain northward to the limit of the survey in this area the soil espee especially 1 bally the subsoil Is reddish in co color lor and contains considerable lime the other group of areas Is located on the east side of the valley along the foot of the mountain slopes partly extending into the low lowling ling ing lake bottom atom lands in these areas both soil and subsoil are gray or black in color and alk like the first mentioned area usually contain considerable lime A light phase of this type Is found aund in box elder lake which dries ip every year and in the cove north of honeyville in these areas the clay subsoil is f found aund at a lower depth and is sometimes entirely wanting van ting in the 40 foot profile the areas occupied by the jordan loam are usually level and those on the cast side ot of the valley are low and wet as well the drainage Is good where the type lies adjacent to sia ila lad or bear river and in the extreme northern part of the area next to the foothills and north of honeyville the remaining portions are pokily drained especially box elder lake and the areas at the foot of the mountain slopes on the east side of the valley some of which are themselves drainage catchments catch ments for the surrounding land this soil type owes its origin to two modes of formation in ili the northern part of the area it has been formed from sediment carried down by bear river and deposited in lake bonneville when that lake was shallow low probably much of the soil was deposited posited le after the lalie lake had receded from rom the northern part ot of the valley by y overflows over flows and floods of bear riv er before that stream had cut its present deep channel the type in in this part ot of the valley Is distinctly stratified and often contains beds of shells showing like deposition the southern and eastern areas have been formed partly by lake deposition and partly by wash front from the mountain slopes considerable quantities of alkali or soluble salts are found in this type in its southern and eastern locations and in that part I 1 ling ing west and north of little Moun mountain talu the extreme northern area of the type and that part lying north of flone are tree free from harmful accumulations of alkali the jordan loam where tree free from alkali is well adapted to grain and sugar beets and where naturally well drained to alfalfa and orchard fruits SALT LAKE CLAY LOAM the soil of the salt lake clay loam to a depth of about 12 inches con consists of heavy fine sandy loam underlain to 6 feet with loam or heavy loam and rarely with clay loam occasionally sio nally a stratum of fine sandy loam or fine sand is found in the third fourth or fifth foot fool section but this is not a necessary characteristic of the type the salt lake clay loam occurs in large areas in the southern and southwestern parts of the survey representing the recent lake bottom an area adjoining the east cast side of little mountain smaller areas in and around corinne and other areas in continued on page seen heen bedr BEAR RIVER SOILS SURVEY continued from page six tile the southern township ot of the survey along the foot of the mountain slopes all the he areas are level and those in tile the recent lake lahe bottom are low and often wet A few sloughs traverse the areas of this soil east of little mountain Youn tain where the salt lake lahe clay loam adjoins bear river or malad river it is well drained but the remainder has poor natural drainage and the wafer table 1 is close 1090 to the surface the te recent lake bottoni area has of course no drainage at all and is itself a drainage basin basili for the whole valley this area ts otten often entirely covered with water in the spring owl owing g to the high water 1 in bear river with the exception of those are areis areas is adjacent to dear bear and malad livers and the bluff line indicated on the map where drainage is good the whole type Is badly alkaline there is an area west of corinne Corl holeve ho aeve which Is pretty well vell reclaimed clai nied the salt lake clay loam la Is of 0 lui fust nafe ine origin only small areas of it are cultivated chiefly in and around corinne Corl to some extent east cast of little mountain and in a few places on the east cast side of the valley southwest of brigham where not alkaline the type is cultivated to alfalfa and fruit and to a small extent to grain many of the low lying areas are devoted to hay production and grazing to which the type is well adapted in its natural condition especially ally south louth of corinne and west of colne parts JAM af U this type in the recent lake bottoms sustain a heavy growth of 0 course sedge which is gathered for for winter feed tor for cattle these lake bottom areas are also quite largely used for grazing purposes as on an many parts of them salt grasses grow fairly well especially where copiously overflowed during the high water of bear river MALAD LOAM the malad loam consists of about 12 inches of fine sandy loam underlain to 3 or 4 feet with loam or sometimes clay loam which is in turn underlain elih wah fire fine sandy loam sometimes extending to G feet but more often grading into fire fine sand or sand in the lower part ot of ehfe abb profile the type is located orn oa tab cie east easi of dear bear river extending several boiles south and west and gora 6 or 7 miles north of corinne A few small areas of bottom land along bear river are composed of tills this type the surface of the type Is generally level the areas of malad loam lying east of bear wiver river are genet generally 1 I ay iy well drained owing to their proximity to the river ell chatiner annel cha tinel those rhose lying west and south of corinne however are not naturally aTly well drained except where bircy adjoin the natural gils which intersect some portions of this type the underground water map shows enuch miu chot ot this type to have water within 3 to 6 feet of the surface a considerable part of the area so affected being virgin land that has never been irrigated the ille soil sod type has been formed try deposits front from the flood waters of dear bear river arver and these periods were succeeded by deposition in more quiet waters pro probably babIr luring during true lane of the temporary higher stages 01 61 th the elake lake before it reached anything like its present low stage ilage the areas lying east cast ol of dear bear river are not badly affected with alkali but those west and vuth vt of lC corinne orinne contain considerable alkali especially tn im the subsoil where free troll alkali the type Is well adapted to sugar beets and grain and hiso also when the water avater is M not ct too near tho the suri surface ace to fruit and altai alfalfa KL to be continued 1 |