LOCATION ANTELOPE SPRINGS IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Antelope Springs loam, on 2 percent slopes--rangeland. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Btkn--4 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, fir, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bk1--13 to 25 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; lime segregated in filaments; very strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--25 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; lime segregated in filaments; very strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Twin Falls County, Idaho; about 4 miles southeast of Hollister, Idaho; in the northeast 1/4 of the northeast 1/4 of the northeast 1/4 of section 12, T.13S., R.16E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 64 to 69 degrees F. These soils are dry for 50 to 60 percent of the time the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. They are usually dry in some part of the moisture control section for 55 to 70 days during the 120 days following June 21 Depth to the top of the nitric horizon is 3 to 10 inches. Depth to the base of the nitric horizon is less than 24 inches.
The A horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The Btkn horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is clay loam or loam with 20 to 35 percent clay.It is moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline. SAR is 13 to 25. Calcium carbonate is 10 to 40 percent.
The Bk or Bkn horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam or loam with 20 to 30 percent clay. It is strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline. SAR is 13 to 25. Calcium carbonate4 is 20 to 40 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calnat, Mesman, Slipback, Tannawasha and Wespac series. Calnat soils have soft tuffaceous siltstone lake sediments at 20 to 40 inches. Mesman soils have less than 10 percent calcium carbonate throughout the profile and formed in lacustrine sediments. Slipback soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 57 degrees F. Wespac soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 56 degrees F. Tannawasha soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Antelope Springs soils are on fan terraces and alluvial plains at elevations of 3,000 to 4,500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources. The mean annual air temperature is 48 to 51 degrees F. and the average summer air temperature is 65 to 70 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches. The freeze-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chiara, Gosinta, Paulville and Springcove soils. Chiara soils are shallow to a duripan and lack a nitric horizon. Gosinta soils have a mollic epipedon over 20 inches thick and lack a nitric horizon. Paulville soils lack a nitric horizon. Springcove soils have a xeric soil moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland. Small areas are irrigated for pasture. The native vegetation is basin wildrye, black greasewood, Indian ricegrass, inland saltgrass and spiny hopsage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Idaho, MLRA 11. These soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Iron County, Utah (Beryl-Enterprise Area), 1942.
REMARKS: The diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 4 inches (A horizon)
Natric horizon - a zone of clay and sodium accumulation from a depth of about 4 to 13 inches (Btkn horizon)
In 2005, the series type location was moved to Idaho from Utah. The original series type location is now considered to be Typic Aridisol.