LOCATION ELIJAH ID+OR

Established Series
Rev. TWP/ALH/MPR
03/2011

ELIJAH SERIES

The Elijah series consists of moderately deep to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in silty alluvium from loess and volcanic ash over medium to coarse textured alluvium or lacustrine sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent on lava plains, fan piedmonts and valleys. The average annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the average annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Elijah silt loam - on a 3 percent slightly convex north-facing slope at 3,230 feet elevation in rangeland. Described on November 3, 1972. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary.

A2--4 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined A horizon - 3 to 14 inches thick)

Bt1--7 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--16 to 21 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (combined Bt horizon - 6 to 15 inches thick)

Bk1--21 to 25 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bk2--25 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined Bk horizon - 2 to 24 inches thick)

2Bkqm--30 to 41 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) continuous, very strongly cemented platy duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist with pink (7.5YR 8/4) continuous indurated laminar cap 5 mm thick; violently effervescent; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 40 inches thick)

2C--41 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3).

TYPE LOCATION: Elmore County, Idaho; about 2 miles northwest of Mountain Home; 2,400 feet south and 1,840 feet east of the northwest corner of section 16, T.3 S., R.6 E.; USGS Mountain Home North Quadrangle; Latitude - 43 degrees, 09 minutes, 48.5 seconds N. and Longitude - 115 degrees, 45 minutes, 01 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to calcium carbonates - 10 to 30 inches
Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches
Particle-size control section - 24 to 35 percent clay; 0 to 5 percent gravel
Moisture control section - moist less than 90 consecutive days when the soil temperature is greater than 47 degrees F.
Average annual soil temperature - 48 to 56 degrees F.

A horizon
Value - 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel, 0 to 5 cobbles and 0 to 5 total

E horizons occur in some pedons

Bt horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - SIL or SICL
Clay content - 24 to 35 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction - neutral through moderately alkaline

Bk (or Bkq) horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - L or SIL
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay content - 12 to 27 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 5 to 40 percent

2Bkqm horizon
Thickness of indurated laminar cap - 1 to 5 mm thick
Thickness of plates - 1 to 8 inches
Cementation of plates - very strong or indurated
Cementation between plates - weak to strong

2C horizon
Texture - stratified medium textured material, or sand and gravel

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Elfkin, Mcpan, and Virtue series. Elfkin soils have a lithic contact within 40 to 60 inches. McPan soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Virtue soils have secondary calcium carbonates ihin n some part of the argillic horizon (see remarks).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elijah soils are on treads of stream terraces and dissected relict lakebeds in valleys, on fan piedmonts, and on lava plains at elevations of 2,300 to 5,200 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in silty alluvium from loess and volcanic ash over medium to coarse textured alluvium or lacustrine sediments. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 12 inches. Average annual temperature is 46 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is 100 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chilcott, Pigtail, Power, Purdam and Vickery soils. Chilcott and Pigtail soils average more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon. Power soils do not have a duripan. Purdam soils have a weakly to strongly cemented duripan. Vickery soils do not have an argillic horizon. These soils are on similar geomorphic positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high Ksat.

USE AND VEGETATION: Elijah soils are used mainly for irrigated cropland, irrigated hayland/pasture and rangeland. Crops grown include corn, small grains, potatoes and sugar beets. The dominant natural vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, basin big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass and Thurber needlegrass. Some areas have been urbanized.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern and south-central Idaho; east-central Oregon. MLRA 11. Elijah soils are of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canyon Area, Idaho, 1967.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - zone from 0 to 7 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - zone from 7 to 21 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Indurated duripan - zone from 30 to 41 inches (2Bkqm horizon)
Particle-size control section - zone from 7 to 21 inches
Soil moisture regime - aridic bordering on xeric

This revision replaces the typical pedon with one that is described to 60 inches. The original pedon was not described below 40 inches and is suspected of having bedrock above 60 inches. Bedrock substratum phases (basalt at 40 to 60 inches) in Ada County Area, Canyon County Area, and Wood River Area soil surveys will be correlated to a new series during MLRA updates.

Virtue and Elijah soils appear to be very similar and could be correlated unless further investigations prove otherwise.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.