LOCATION BIGCINDER IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal over fragmental or cindery, aniso, glassy Humic Xeric Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Bigcinder ashy sandy loam - on a 40 percent slope at an elevation of 6,500 feet in rangeland. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on June 4, 1997, the soil was dry.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots, common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel-size cinders; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 6 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel-size cinders; neutral (pH 7.1); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A3--6 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel-size cinders; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
2C--10 to 20 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravel, black (10YR 2/1) moist; single grained; loose; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine to medium and few coarse interstitial pores; 99 percent gravel-size cinders; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
3A1--20 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly ashy loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine to medium interstitial pores; 45 percent gravel-size cinders; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
3A2--24 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly ashy loamy sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; single grained; loose; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine to medium interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel-size cinders; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
4C--30 to 60 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravel, black (10YR 2/1) moist; single grained; loose; common very fine to medium and few coarse interstitial pores; 99 percent gravel-size cinders.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, Idaho, about 1 miles south of the Craters of the Moon Visitors Center; 2,200 feet west and 2,200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 12, T. 1 N., R. 24 E. Latitude - 113 degrees, 32 minutes, 33 seconds north; Longitude - 43 degrees, 25 minutes, 53 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The soil moisture control section is dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days.
Average annual soil temperature - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Average summer soil temperature - 45 to 47 degrees F.
Depth to the 2C horizon is 10 to 18 inches
Depth to the 4C horizon is 25 to 40 inches
Mollic epipedon is 10 to 15 inches thick
A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value, dry - 2 through 4, moist - 2 or 3
Chroma, moist - 1 to 3
Coarse fragments - 10 to 45 percent cinders
Glass content is 30 to 50 percent
Phosphate retention is 25 to 50 percent
Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate iron is 0.4 to 1.0
15 bar water dry is 5 to 12 percent and moist is 10 to 20 percent
3A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 4 to 6 moist
Coarse fragments - 40 to 60 percent cinders
Texture - GRV-LS, GRV-SL
Glass content is 40 to 70 percent
Phosphate retention is 25 to 40 percent
Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate iron is 0.4 to 0.8
15 bar water dry is 3 to 10 percent and moist is 5 to 15 percent
2C and 4C horizons
Rock fragments - 90 to 100 percent cinders
COMPETING SERIES: This are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bigcinder soils are on north-facing slopes of cinder cones. Elevation is 5,500 to 6,500 feet. Slopes are 20 to 40 percent. The soils are formed in recent ash and cinders from the Craters of the Moon volcanics. The average annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches, most of which falls as snow. The average annual air temperature is 38 to 42 degrees F. The frost-free season is 50 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Echocrater, Infernocone, and Northcrater soils and cinder land. These soils are frigid and lack the characteristic limber pine vegetation.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. slow runoff. Rapid
over very rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for wildlife and limited livestock grazing. Vegetation is limber pine, aspen, mountain big sagebrush, snowberry, bitterbrush, pine reedgrass, and Idaho fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. This series is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Craters of the Moon Area, Idaho, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features.
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 10 inches
Andic soil properties -
0 to 10 inches have andic soil properties with about 40 percent glass
Phosphate retention about 40 percent
Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate iron is about 0.8
The zone from 10 to 20 and 30 to 60 inches is cinders which lack andic soil properties.
The zone from 20 to 30 inches has andic soil properties with about 60 percent glass, phosphate retention about 25, and acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron about 0.4
Particle-size control section - 0 to 40 inches.
The upper part form 0 to 10 inches is ashy-skeletal averaging 36 percent cinders, the next layer from 10 to 20 inches is cindery with 99 percent cinders, the next layer from 20 to 30 inches is ashy-skeletal averaging 48 percent cinders and the lower part from 30 to 40 inches is cindery with 99 percent cinders.
Family placement is ashy-skeletal over fragmental or cindery, aniso.