LOCATION MARLEY IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calciargidic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Marley silt loam on a 4 percent northeast facing slope at an elevation of 4,580 feet in a wheat field. When described on April 24, 1989, the soil was moist below 3 inches. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 1 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Ap2--1 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine platy structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Ap3--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films in pores and on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 19 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to strong fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films in pores and on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Btb--19 to 29 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; slickensides on faces of peds; 1 percent fine gravel near faces of peds; continuous distinct clay films in pores and on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Btkb--29 to 36 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 1 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; common prominent clay films in pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 22 inches thick)
Bkb--36 to 42 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bkqmb-- 42 to 66 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) nearly continuous 1 mm thick laminar cap over a strongly cemented duripan, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent; abrupt broken boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Lincoln County, Idaho; about 4 miles north and 2 mile west of Richfield; 600 feet west and 50 feet north of the southeast corner Section 32, T3S, R19E. 43 deg. 6 min. 49 sec. N Lat., 114 deg. 12 min. 59 sec. W Long.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 50 degrees F.
Depth to carbonates - 19 to 40 inches
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches
Depth to duripan - 41 to 60 inches
Average clay in control section - 23 to 35 percent
Mollic epipedon thickness - 9 to 15 inches
Reaction - neutral to moderately alkaline
Some pedons have a Bw horizon
A horizons
Value - 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Bt horizons
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 23 to 35
Texture - SIL, SICL
Btb horizons
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 35 to 45 percent
Texture - SIC, C, SICL
Btkb horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 35 to 45 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 0 to 5 percent
Texture - SIC, C, SICL
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Bkb horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, L, SICL
Clay content - 25 to 30 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles Calcium carbonate equivalent - 16 to 40 percent
Bkqmb horizons
Thickness of laminar cap - 1mm to 3mm
Cementation - weak to strong
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hamrub and Kimama series. The Hamrub and Kimama series lack fine textures in the lower part of the argillic and lack a buried Bt horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Marley soils are on nearly level to moderately steep basalt plains and buttes. Slopes range from 1 to 15 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,800 feet. The soil has formed in loess and silty alluvium. The soils are in a semi arid climate with annual precipitation of 11 to 13 inches. The average annual temperature is about 45 to 48 degrees F. The frost free period is 90 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Kinzie series. The Kinzie series is moderately deep to duripan and deep to bedrock. The Kinzie series is on the same landforms as Marley.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for irrigated cropland and rangeland. Vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, three tip sagebrush, needlegrass and arrowleaf balsamroot.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southcentral Idaho. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County, Idaho, 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Buried Bt horizon - an abrupt increase in clay content and often an increase in chroma indicating a separate deposition from the overlaying material.
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 8 to 36 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btb, Btkb horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 36 to 66 inches (Bkb, Bqkmb horizons)
Duripan - the zone from 42 to 66 inches (Bkqmb horizon)
Particle-size control section - 8 to 28 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and part of the Btb horizons)