LOCATION ZEALE ID
Established Series
Rev. KWH/ /RGK/CBR
08/2021
ZEALE SERIES
Landscape--alluvial plains, plains, hills, foothills, valleys, mountains
Landform--alluvial fans, fan remnants, hillslopes, mountain slopes, stream terraces, moraines
Slope--1 to 60 percent
Parent material--alluvium, colluvium, slope alluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 350 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 3.3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--cryic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic Xeric Calcicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Zeale gravelly loam in an area of rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ak1--0 to 8 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few calcium carbonate coatings less than 1 mm thick on bottom of rock fragments; strongly effervescent (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary
Ak2--8 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; few calcium carbonate coatings 2 mm thick on rock fragments; strongly effervescent (45 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary
Bk1--23 to 33 cm; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine and fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; common calcium carbonate coatings less than 2 mm thick on rock fragments; violently effervescent (65 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary
Bk2--33 to 61 cm; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine irregular and tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; common calcium carbonate coatings less than 2 mm thick on rock fragments; common soft masses of secondary calcium carbonate in old root channels; violently effervescent (65 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary
Bk3--61 to 102 cm; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) extremely cobbly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores and common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; many calcium carbonate coatings less than 3 mm thick on rock fragments; common soft masses of secondary calcium carbonate in old root channels; violently effervescent (70 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary
Bk4--102 to 152 cm; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) extremely cobbly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores and few fine and very fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 45 percent cobbles; many calcium carbonate coatings less than 2 mm thick on rock fragments; violently effervescent (70 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Custer County, Idaho; latitude 44.195000 degrees north, longitude 113.563056 degrees west, datum WGS 84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--2.8 to 6.7 degrees C
Thickness of mollic epipedon--20 to 38 cm
Depth to calcic horizon--20 to 46 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Clay content--15 to 25 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 65 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--40 to 80 percent
Ak1 and Ak2 horizons
Value--3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2-mm fraction)--loam, silt loam
Clay content--15 to 25 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 35 percent
Gravel content--15 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Stone content--0 to 3 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--1 to 55 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--13 to 25 cm
Bk horizon, and Bkq horizon (where present)
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value--5 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma--4 to 6 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2-mm fraction)--loam, sandy loam
Clay content--15 to 25 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 75 percent
Gravel content--0 to 55 percent
Cobble content--0 to 45 percent
Stone content--0 to 3 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--40 to 80 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--pH 7.6 to 9.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Canyoung--mean annual soil temperature higher than 8 degrees C
Fritz--secondary accumulation of silica in particle-size control section
Skibo--O horizon; more than 5 percent stones in particle-size control section
Zeelot--more than 30 percent clay in particle-size control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1640 to 2750 m
Mean annual precipitation--200 to 675 mm
Mean annual air temperature--1 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free period--20 to 60 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--5 to 25 um/sec
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major use--rangeland
Potential natural vegetation--low sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, prairie Junegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, phlox
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moderate extent in southeastern and east-central Idaho; MLRAs 12 and 13
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Custer County, Idaho; 1999
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
Mollic epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 23 cm (Ak horizon)
Calcic horizon--zone from 23 to 150 cm (Bk horizon)
Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of Bk1 horizon, Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)
Taxonomic version--Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.