WSP00390 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Agriculture is and will remain an important aspect of the economy of the Uinta Basin. Cattle, sheep, wool, milk, hay, and other feed crops are the major products and livestock grazing is a major land use. Nearby National forest and National resource lands also provide grazing. The mining of hydrocarbon gilsonite, bituminous sandstone, and monophosphate rock are important to the area's economy. Climate Most tion vary degrees. of the Uinta Basin is semiarid, but temperature and precipita- widely. Daily temperature extremes can vary as much as 40 Annual extreme temperatures range from -30. F to 105. F. Winter precipitation falls mostly as snow, while thunderstorms domi- nate the summer season when a northerly flow of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico prevails. Average annual precipitation is about 7.5 inches at Roosevelt but varies from less than 7 inches near Ouray to about 40 inches in adjacent high mountains. Irrigation is essential in cropped areas. The average frost-free period Vernal, and 125 days at Roosevelt. season decreases. is 115 days at Duchesne, As elevation increases, 120 days at the growing Physiography Most of the Uinta Basin floor lies between 5,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level. In the Uinta Mountains, the largest east-west trending mountain range in North America, peaks exceed 13,000 feet in several places. Between the mountains and the basin floor are various types of land forms, including smooth, gently sloping benches or mesas; alluvial valleys dissected by streams; alluvial fans and foothill slopes that lie between the bases of mesas and the basin floor; rolling uplands; and steep, rough, broken, and eroded lands. These landform types are scattered throughout the basin. Soils The irrigated lands of the Uinta Basin are of two major types: old alluvial soils found on the higher benches and mesas, and more recent deeper alluvial and residual soils found in the valley bottoms. The soils on the bench lands have developed from an alluvium of quartzite and mixed sedimentary rock from the Uinta Mountains deposited during periods of glacial recession. Most have medium to moderately slow internal drainage characteristics due mainly to the cemented cobble and lime hardpans found at fairly shallow depths. The hardpan is moderately hard with numerous cracks which allow penetration of roots and water. The hardpan is a retardant to water movement, slowing the downward penetration of water, but does not constitute a barrier. As a result, meadow hay and pasture are produced on lands of the higher benches. 5 "'-'. r ,j! '.. ."'1 UU\Jq:JO