LOCATION CHESLEY                 ID

Established Series
Rev. BDG/JAL/EMM
09/2013

CHESLEY SERIES

The Chesley series consists of deep, well drained soils on ridges, side slopes and shoulders of foothills and low mountains. They formed in loess and material from fine grained quartzites and siltite of the Libby and Striped Peak formations of the Belt supergroup that is blanketed by a thick mantle of volcanic ash. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high. Slope ranges from 7 to 70 percent. The average annual temperature is about 43 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is about 35 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, amorphic over mixed, superactive, frigid Alfic Udivitrands

TYPICAL PEDON: Chesley ashy silt loam, forested - on a southwest-facing slope of 46 percent at 3,260 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated). When described on July 11, 2002, the soil was dry to 20 inches and moist below.

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, leaves and moss. (0.5 to 1.5 inches thick)

A--1 to 3 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; 2 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

Bw1--3 to 9 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine and fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots throughout; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 1 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--9 to 20 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots between peds, common medium and coarse roots throughout; many very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores;; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizons is 15 to 23 inches)

2Bt1--20 to 26 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots between peds; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on surfaces along pores; 5 percent fine mica flakes; 9 percent gravel, 2 percent paragravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary.

2Bt2--26 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films along surfaces of pores and on vertical faces of peds; common distinct skeletans on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent fine mica flakes; 9 percent gravel, 2 percent paragravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of 2Bt horizons is 14 to 29 inches)

3Bt3--34 to 43 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and few fine roots between peds; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on rock fragments; common distinct skeletans on rock fragments; 5 percent fine mica flakes; 32 percent gravel, 15 percent paragravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)

3BCt--43 to 52 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots between peds; many very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on rock fragments; 2 percent fine mica flakes; 60 percent gravel, 15 percent paragravel and 5 percent paracobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

3C--52 to 58 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots in cracks; common very fine tubular and few very fine irregular pores; 63 percent gravel, 15 percent paragravel and 5 percent paracobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary.

3Cr--58 to 60 inches; fractured siltite.

TYPE LOCATION: Latah County, Idaho; about 6.5 miles north and 4 miles east of Princeton, Idaho; about 350 feet north and 700 feet west of the southeast corner of Sec. 6, T42N, R3W; Latitude 47 degrees, 0 minutes, 34 seconds North and Longitude 116 degrees 45 minutes, 35 seconds West; UTM Zone 11 Northing 5206232 meters and Easting 0518268 meters; USGS Sanders Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Solum thickness - 53 to 60 inches
Soil moisture control section - usually dry for less than 45 consecutive days during June to October.
Udic moisture regime.
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 45 degrees F.
Frigid temperature regime.

Volcanic ash cap thickness - 17 to 25 inches
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction - 15 to 60 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe - 1.3 to 2.7 percent
Phosphate retention - 74 to 90 percent
15-bar water retention on air dried samples - 9 to 13 percent (weighted average is less than 12 percent)
Moist bulk density - 0.5 to 1.07 g/cc


A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value - 5 or 6 dry
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 7 or 8 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 2 percent gravel
Reaction - 5.8 to 6.7

Bw horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value - 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 4 or 6 moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 7 or 8 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction - 5.6 to 6.8

2Bt horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 9 to 20 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent total rock fragment content
Pararock fragments - 1 to 10 percent paragravel
Reaction - 5.5 to 6.2

3Bt horizon
Value - 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 4 or 6 moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 9 to 14 percent
Rock fragments - 15 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 20 to 35 percent total rock fragment content
Pararock fragments - 5 to 15 percent paragravel
Reaction - 5.3 to 6.0

3BCt horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry, 4 or 6 moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 7 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 40 to 60 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 40 to 60 percent total rock fragment content
Pararock fragments - 5 to 35 percent paragravel,
Reaction - 5.4 to 5.9

3C horizons
Chroma - 4 or 6 moist
Texture - silt loam
Clay content - 7 to 12 percent
Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, 35 to 85 percent total rock fragment content
Pararock fragments - 7 to 30 percent paragravel
Reaction - 5.1 to 5.9

COMPETING SERIES:
Brodeer soils: are very deep and do not have 3Bt, 3BC or 3C horizons
Cranberry soils: are very deep and the 3Bt has less than 15 percent basalt gravel
Disalto soils: are very deep and have fine sandy loam textures in the 3C horizon
Dworshak soils: are very deep and have more than 18 percent clay content in the 3Bt horizon
Helmer soils: are shallow to a fragipan
Scand soils: are very deep and have more than 30 percent mica flakes in the 3Bt horizon

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Chesley soils are on ridges, sideslopes and shoulders of foothills and low mountains. Slopes range from 7 to 70 percent. These soils formed in loess and fine grained quartzites or siltite with a thick mantle of volcanic ash at elevations of 2,800 to 4,200 feet (854 to 1280 meters). The average annual air temperature ranges from 41 to 46 degrees F, with an average annual precipitation of 25 to 43 inches (635 to 1092 mm). The frost free season is 85 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Stewah, Kauder and Honeyjones soils. Stewah soils are on sidelopes and shoulders of foothills and low mountains and have a vitrandic surface. Kauder soils are on broad interfluve summits, have an ash mantle that is 7 to 14 inches thick and have a fragipan at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Honeyjones soils are on sideslopes of mountains and average more than 35 percent rock fragments in the portion of the particle size control section that is below the ash mantle.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed, and recreation. Potential natural vegetation is western redcedar, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, grand fir and western larch with an understory of queencup beadlily, American trailplant, pipsissewa, western goldthread, thimbleberry, rocky mountain maple, common snowberry, woodland strawberry, and twinflower.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Idaho. The series is moderately extensive. MLRA 43A.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Latah County, Idaho, 2013. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches (Oi, and A horizons)

Cambic horizon - The zone from 3 to 20 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Argillic horizon - The zone from 20 to 52 inches (Bt1, 2Bt2, 3Bt3 and 3BCt horizons)

Andic soil material - The zone from 1 to 20 inches (A, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Paralithic contact - at a depth of 58 inches

Particle-size control section - The zone from 1 to 41 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, 2Bt1, 2Bt2, and part of the 3Bt3 horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.