LOCATION ELEVATOR IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Elevator silt loam--on a nearly level slope at 5,000 feet elevation--nonirrigated cropland. (When described on June 5, 1986, the soil was moist below 10 inches. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Btk--27 to 32 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; few fine prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) irregularly shaped relict masses of iron accumulation; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; secondary carbonates segregated as common fine and medium masses; noneffervescent to slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--32 to 45 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; many fine and medium prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) irregularly shaped relict masses of iron accumulation; common fine organic stains on faces of peds; secondary carbonates segregated as many fine and medium masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--45 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; strong angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine irregular pores; few fine and medium prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) irregularly shaped relict masses of iron accumulation; few fine organic stains on faces of peds; secondary carbonates segregated as many fine and medium masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Oneida County, Idaho; about 17 miles southwest of Malad City in Pocatello Valley; approximately 1,300 feet north and 100 feet west of the southeast corner of section 16, T. 16 S., R. 34 E.; USGS Grover Canyon 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees 01 minutes 34 seconds north latitude and 112 degrees 28 minutes 47 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; Xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 11 to 19 inches; includes the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to secondary carbonates - 18 to 38 inches.
Depth to calcic horizon - 24 to 40 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 28 to 35 percent.
Ap horizon - Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Organic matter content: 2 to 4 percent.
Bt and Btk horizons - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent.
Other features: Relic redoximorphic features are present in the Btk horizon and are not related to current water states.
Bk horizons - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent.
Sodicity (SAR): 0 to 5.
Other features: Relic redoximorphic features are present and are not related to current water states.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bancroft, Chatburn, Komondor (T), and Thatcher series.
Bancroft and Thatcher soils do not have extremely firm consistence immediately below the argillic horizon. Chatburn soils have a Bk horizon with platy structure and have sodium adsorption ratio of 15 to 25 in the lower part of the argillic horizon and in the calcic horizon. Komondor soils do not have relict redoximorphic features in the calcic horizon and do not have endosaturation between 60 and 72 inches from the soil surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elevator soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits derived from limestone, quartzite, sandstone, and tuff. Slopes are 0 to 12 percent. Elevations range from 4,900 to 5,200 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches, the mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buckboard, Jensen, and Povirt soils. Buckboard have thick mollic epipedons and are on lake terraces. Jensen soils have thick mollic epipedons and are on fan terraces and depressions on lake terraces. Povirt soils are fine textured, have ochric epipedons, and are on relict lakebeds.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium or high surface runoff; slow permeability (moderately high or moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 5 and 6 feet (very deep free water occurrence class) between March and May. Cumulative annual duration class is Transitory.
USE AND VEGETATION: Elevator soils are used for nonirrigated cropland. The crops are mostly small grains and alfalfa.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Idaho. These soils are moderately extensive. The series concept and main acreage is in MLRA 28A, while other acreage occurs in MLRA 13.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Oneida County Area, Idaho, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 16 inches (Ap and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 10 to 32 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 32 to 60 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 30 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons and part of the Btk horizon).
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. Property data in NASIS validates the superactive activity class.