LOCATION BREITENBACH IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcidic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Breitenbach loam--on a 1 percent southwest-facing slope at 5,320 feet in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on August 29, 1988, the soil was dry throughout.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine platy structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 7 to 14 inches)
Bw--9 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk--17 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; lime coatings on undersides of coarse fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2Bkq1--30 to 34 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; lime coatings and silica pendants 1 to 2 mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
3Bkq2--34 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; 70 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; lime coatings and silica pendants 2 to 3 mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, Idaho; about 2 miles southeast of Arco, Idaho; about 1,600 feet west and about 600 feet north of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 3 N., R. 27 E. Latitude - 43 degrees, 36 minutes, 41 seconds North; Longitude - 113 degrees, 15 minutes, 42 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperatures - 40 to 45 degrees F
Mollic epipedon thickness - 9 to 14 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 12 to 20 inches
Depth to the 3Bkq horizon is 30 to more than 60 inches
Control section - percent clay: averages 12 to 16
Coarse fragments: average 40 to 70 percent
A horizon Value - 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
Bw horizon Value - 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - L, SL, GR-L, GR-SL
Coarse fragments - 10 to 35 percent
2Bk, 2Bkq and 3Bkq horizons
Value - 4 through 7 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture - GRV-SL, GRX-SL, GRX-LCOS, GRX-LS, GRX-L, GRV-L
Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Darlington series. Darlington soils lack a calcic horizon and accumulations of silica.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Breitenbach soils are on fans and stream terraces at elevations of 3,000 to 6,500 feet. The soils formed in alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The climate is cold and moist in winter and spring and dry in summer. The average annual air temperature is 38 to 43 degrees F. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches. The frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elbow, Sanfelipe, Simeroi, Sparmo and Stan series. Elbow soils are on outwash fans and fan terraces and have duripans. Sanfelipe soils are on outwash fans and terraces and have carbonatic mineralogy. Sparmo and Simeroi soils are on outwash fans and terraces and lack mollic epipedons. Stan soils are on outwash fans and terraces and have coarse-loamy particle-size control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow runoff. Moderate permeability in the upper part and very rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and irrigated cropland. The native vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Idaho. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Custer-Lemhi Counties, Idaho, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 9 to 17 inches (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 17 to 60 inches (2Bk, 2Bkq1, and 3Bkq2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the Bw, 2Bk, 2Bkq1 and part of 3Bkq2 horizons).