LOCATION BERN IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bern silt loam, irrigated hayland; on a 1 percent slope at 5,945 feet elevation. When described on September 5, 1990, the soil was slightly moist throughout. (Color is for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushed moist; strong fine platy structure parting to strong fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine and few fine and medium irregular pores; slightly effervescent; disseminated lime (<2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary.
Ap2--3 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) broken and crushed moist; strong medium and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, medium, coarse and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular and irregular pores; 1 percent very hard 5mm nodules; slightly effervescent; disseminated lime (<2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Ap horizons is 7 to 12 inches.)
ABk--9 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) broken and crushed moist; strong medium and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, coarse and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine and common medium tubular pores; 1 percent very hard 5mm nodules; slightly effervescent; disseminated lime; many fine and common irregularly shaped soft lime seams and masses (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Btk--16 to 26 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) broken and brown (7.5YR 4/4) crushed moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and few fine and common medium tubular pores; few fine faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; violently effervescent; disseminated lime; many fine irregularly shaped soft lime seams and filaments (25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
Bk1--26 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) broken and crushed moist; weak very thick platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; 1 percent very hard 5mm nodules; violently effervescent; disseminated lime; many fine and medium irregularly shaped soft lime seams and masses (35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--34 to 47 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) broken and brown (10YR 4/3) crushed moist; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; 15 percent of horizon has very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist horizontal and angled bands; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; disseminated lime; many fine irregularly shaped soft lime seams and filaments (45 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 12 to 32 inches.)
C1--47 to 55 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) broken and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) crushed moist; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations and many fine prominent black (N 2/) moist redox depletions; massive, slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; disseminated lime (<2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
C2--55 to 65 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) broken and brown (10YR 4/3) crushed moist; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; at 55 to 56.5 inches is a layer that is grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very fine sandy loam; slightly effervescent; disseminated lime (12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; about 1 mile north of Montpelier; about 100 feet east and 1,400 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 27, T.12S., R.44E. 42 degrees, 20 minutes, 49 seconds north latitude, 111 degrees, 18 minutes, 21 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 17 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 7 to 21 inches
Depth to redox features - 30 to 40 inches
Depth to seasonal high water table - 30 to 40 inches (February through July)
Average annual soil temperature - 41 to 45 degrees F
Particle-size control section
Clay content - averages 20 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent - averages 15 to 35 percent
Ap horizons
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 through 3 dry and moist
Reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
ABk horizon (Absent in some pedons)
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent - < 15 percent
Reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
Btk horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma - 1 through 4 dry and moist
Texture - SICL or SIL
Calcium carbonate equivalent - averages 15 to 30 percent
SAR ? 0 to 13
Reaction ? slightly to strongly alkaline
Bk horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma - 1 through 4 dry and moist
Texture - SIL or SICL
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 45 percent
SAR ? 0 to 13
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline
C horizons
Hue - 5YR through 10YR
Chroma - 2 through 4 moist
Texture - SIL or VFSL
Calcium carbonate equivalent - < 15 percent
SAR ? 0 to 13
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bern soils are on stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 5,800 to 6,575 feet. The soil formed in loess and mixed alluvium. Average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches, average annual temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F., the frost free period is 65 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Iphil (T), Lago (T), and Merkley (T) soils. Iphil and Merkley soils have coarse-silty particle-size control sections and have moderate permeability. Lago soils are somewhat poorly drained. Iphil soils are on loess covered uplands and terraces above Bern soils. Lago soils are on silty alluvium covered flood plains lower on the landscape than Bern soils. Merkley soils are on similar landscapes as Bern, but are on slightly higher, convex slopes when associated with Bern soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Bern soils are used for irrigated and nonirrigated cropland and hayland and pastureland. Typical crops consist of small grains. The potential native vegetation is Basin big sagebrush and mixed grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. The soils of this series are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 16 inches (the Ap1, Ap2 and ABk horizons).
Calcic horizon - the zone from 16 to 47 inches (the Btk, Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Oxyaquic subgroup based on redox features at 30 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 inches to 40 inches (part of the ABk, the Btk, Bk1, and part of the Bk2 horizons).