LOCATION DISTON IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Xeric Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Diston loamy sand, in rangeland at an elevation of 4820 feet on a 4 percent southwesterly slope. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 2 percent duripan fragments less than 3/4 inch in diameter; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--5 to 13 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; about 2 percent duripan fragments less than 3/4 inch in diameter; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bk2--13 to 31 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; about 2 percent duripan fragments less than 3/4 inch in diameter; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bkqm--31 to 40 inches; white (2.5Y 8/1) duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; many very fine and fine tubular pores; indurated; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bkq--40 to 45 inches; sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; weakly cemented layers, many very fine and fine tubular pores; 10 percent duripan fragments; strong effervescence; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
B'kqm--45 to 47 inches; duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; few very fine tubular pores; indurated; violent effervescence; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
B'kq--47 to 60 inches; sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; slightly hard, friable; common very fine and fine tubular pores; stratified layers of duripan 1 to 5 inches thick; violent effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Idaho; about 2 miles north and 1/2 mile west of Hamer; 12 feet southeast of the northwest corner of section 10, T.7N., R.36E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average summer soil temperature - 62 to 67 degrees F.
Soil moisture - Dry from 12 to 31 inches for 45 consecutive days in late summer and autumn.
Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches.
Volume of pan fragments in profile - 1 to 15 percent.
A horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3dry or moist
Bk horizons - Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture: LS (SL in some pedons in subhorizons above Bk).
Carbonate content: 5 to 10 percent.
Bkqm horizons: Hue - 2.5 Y or 10 YR.
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 or 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3 dry or moist.
Cementation class: indurated.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Palanush series. The Palanush soils have 20 to 35 percent gravel and 20 to 60 percent ash in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Diston soils are on basalt plains at elevations of 4,800 to 5,150 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. The soils formed in coarse textured eolian material containing 40 to 50 percent dark colored sand. The semiarid climate has an average freeze-free period of 80 to 100 days and an average annual precipitation of 8 to 11 inches. The average annual temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Grassy Butte and Modkin soils. Grassy Butte soils are deeper than 40 inches. Modkin soils have sandy loam textures over bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. They are on ridges and knobs dominantly but can occur in swales.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; very slow or slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland, wildlife habitat, irrigated potatoes, wheat, barley, hay and pasture. Natural potential vegetation is big sagebrush, needleandthread, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Nevada bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Idaho, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic properties recognized are as follows:
Particle-size control section - 10 to 31 inches to the duripan. (Part of the Bk1 and the Bk2 horizons).
Ochric epipedon: Surface to 5 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: 5 to 31 inches (Bk1 and Bk2)
Depth to the duripan: 31 inches.
Classification revised 3/2001 based on changes to Soil Taxonomy.