LOCATION BABBINGTON              ID

Established Series
Rev: ALH/CLM
02/2018

BABBINGTON SERIES

The Babbington series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils on alluvial flats and bottomlands. They formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. Permeability is moderately slow. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the average annual temperature is about 9.4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calciargidic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Babbington loam -- on a slightly convex slope of 2 percent, in rangeland at 1,285 meter elevation. (When described on July 3, 1984, the soil was dry to 8 cm and slightly moist below. Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--10 to 33 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; continuous diatinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--33 to 74 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, few fine tubular pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few medium sized, slightly effervescent soft masses of carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 41 cm thick)

Btk--74 to 107 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine pores; many faint clay films in pores; moderately effervescent; common carbonate veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 61 cm thick)

2C--107 to 152 cm; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) with common medium faint mottles of light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) stratified loamy sand and very gravelly sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive and single grain; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 to 60 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 3 miles north and 13 miles west of Reynolds; 200 feet east and 1,250 feet south of the northwest corner of section 13, T.2 S., R.6 W.; USGS Captain Butte 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 15 minutes 11 seconds N and longitude 117 degrees 00 minutes 20 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 43.2530556 latitude, -117.0055556 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Thickness of mollic epipedon - 20 to 50 cm.
Depth to calcium carbonates - 30 to 91 cm.
Depth to stratified coarse textured material - 100 cm or more Average annual soil temperature - 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C.
Soil moisture - continuous dry 90 to 120 days in summer and early fall, xeric moisture regime bordering on aridic.

Bt horizon (upper part)
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - CL or SICL - 27 to 35 percent clay
Reaction (pH) - neutral or mildly alkaline

Btk horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - CL, L, or SIL - 24 to 32 percent clay
Coarse fragments - 0 to 10 percent, mainly gravel
Effervescence - slight or moderate (less that 15 percent
calcium carbonate)
Reaction (pH) - mildly or moderately alkaline

2C horizon
Hue - 10YR or 5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Mottles - few or common, faint to prominent
Texture - (stratified) LS to GRV-S, with thin layers of medium textured material common
Effervescence - none to slight
Reaction (pH) - mildly or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bidwell, Doyce, Haw, and Zen series. All these soils are well drained. Bidwell soils are dry about 150 consecutive days in summer and early fall. Doyce soils have a calcic horizon with 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 to 35 rock fragments below 43 to 60 cm. Haw soils lack carbonate in any part of the argillic horizon. Zen soils are moderately deep to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Babbington soils are on nearly level alluvial flats and bottomlands at elevation of 1,040 to 1,620 meters. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. The climate is cool and moist in the winter and warm and dry in the summer. Average annual precipitation is 250 to 330 mm and average annual temperature is 7.2 to10.0 degrees C. Frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beetville and Piline (T) series. Beetville soils lack argillic horizons and on similar or slightly concave positions. Piline soils are poorly drained, have deep cracks when dry, a high water table at 30 to 60 cm and on lower positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained with high water table at 3.5 to 5.0 feet; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Babbington soils are used mainly for hayland, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is basin big sagebrush, basin wildrye, bluebunch wheatgrass, and bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. The series is of small extent. MLRA 25.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County, Idaho, 1975.

REMARKS: This revision changes the type location and drainage class.

Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:

Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 33 cm (A and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - zone from 10 to 107 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons).
Calcic horizon - zone from 74 to 107 cm (Btk horizon).

Particle - size control section - the zone from 10 to 60 cm (Bt1 and upper part of Bt2 horizons)

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.