LOCATION BLUEDOME IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, carbonatic Xereptic Petrocryids
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluedome loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine, and few medium roots; 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bk1--3 to 11 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine, and few medium roots; strongly effervescent; 2 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bk2--11 to 17 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; violently effervescent (52 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); 5 percent gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bk3--17 to 34 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable (somewhat brittle), slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; 10 percent gravel; violently effervescent (62 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 19 inches thick)
2Bkqm--34 to 46 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) strongly cemented by silica and lime, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; (very brittle); many discontinuous opal coatings on surface of peds; very few very fine roots in cracks of duripan; 40 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 16 inches thick)
2Bkq1--46 to 53 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm; nonsticky and nonplastic; moderately cemented by silica and lime; 85 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
2Bkq2--53 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; loose; very few very fine roots; common silica pendants on undersides of gravel; 85 percent gravel; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Custer County, Idaho; about 1.5 miles east of Donkey Hills; approximately 1,800 feet east and 300 feet south from the northwest corner, sec. 12, T. 10 N., R. 25 E. Latitude - 44 degrees, 13 minutes, 03 seconds North. Longitude - 113 degrees, 25 minutes, 45 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 37 to 42 degrees F.
Average summer soil temperature - 55 to 59 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - percent total clay 10 to 16, percent carbonate free clay - 5 to 10 percent
Rounded coarse fragments - 2 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 40 to 70 percent
Depth to calcic horizon - 7 to 14 inches
Depth to a strongly cemented duripan - 20 to 40 inches
Reaction of profile - moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
A horizon
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 20 to 30 percent
Bk horizons
Value - 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture - L, GR-L, or GR-SL
Rounded coarse fragments - 2 to 35 percent
2Bkqm horizon
Duripan - strongly cemented in the upper part and grades into weakly cemented in the lower part
2Bkq horizons
Value - 6 to 8 dry and 5 to 8 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture - GRX-LCOS, GRX-SL or GRX-LS
Rounded coarse fragments - 65 to 90 percent
Total clay content - 5 to 12 percent
SAR - 2 to 8
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bluedome soils are on outwash fans and fan terraces. Elevations range from 5,500 to 7,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. The soils formed in alluvium dominantly from limestone. The climate is cold and moist in winter and spring, and cool and dry in summer. The average summer air temperature is 53 to 57 degrees F, and the average annual temperature is 35 to 43 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 11 inches. Frost-free period is 40 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Windcoat and Nicholia series. Nicholia soils have a duripan at depths above 20 inches. Windcoat soils have a duripan above 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. These soils are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Custer County, Idaho, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and feature recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 11 to 46 inches (Bk2, Bk3, and 2Bkqm horizons)
Duripan - The zone from 34 to 46 inches (2Bkqm horizon)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 inches to 34 inches (the lower part of the Bk1 and the Bk2 and Bk3 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data from another pedon in the survey area S88ID-037-002 88P846.