LOCATION ELHINA                  ID+NV

Established Series
Rev. DFA/CLM/JBF
01/2019

ELHINA SERIES

The Elhina series consists of well drained, moderately deep to a duripan soils that formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff. They are on terraces. Slopes range from 2 to 8 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 250 mm and the average annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Abruptic Xeric Argidurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Elhina very gravelly loam--on a slope of 4 percent under rangeland vegetation at 1,661 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) When described on July 9, l981, the soil was dry throughout.

A--0 to 3 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; many very fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 cm thick)

E--3 to 8 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many roots; many fine vesicular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bt2--20 to 30 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 40 cm thick)

2Bk--30 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 70 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (23 to 46 cm thick)

2Bkqm--53 to 81 cm; white (10YR 8/1) fractured indurated duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, many 0.3 mm thick silica cemented laminations throughout the duripan; few very fine roots in fractures of the duripan; fractures are 0.6 cm wide and are 25 cm apart; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 60 cm thick)

2Bkq--81 to 152 cm; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) weakly cemented extremely gravelly sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 70 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Twin Falls County, Idaho; about 14 miles south of Salmon Falls Dam; in the northeast 1/4, southwest 1/4, northeast 1/4 of section 22, T. 16 S., R. 14 E.; USGS Browns Bench South 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 01 minutes 23 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 47 minutes 49 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.0230556 latitude -114.7969444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in winter and early spring; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 19 to 21 degrees C.
Depth to the argillic horizon: 5 to 15 cm.
Depth to the duripan: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: More than 150 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 36 to 50 percent.
Gravel: 5 to 30 percent.

A horizon
Value: 3 or 2 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 2 dry or moist.

E horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam, gravelly loam or clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent.
Gravel: 5 to 30 percent.

Bt horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 dry or moist.
Structure: Angular blocky or subangular blocky.
Textures: gravelly clay, gravelly clay loam, clay or clay loam.
Clay content: 36 to 50 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

2Bkqm horizon
First silica lamination thickness: 3 to 5 cm, 0.3 to 8 cm of thickness on subsequent laminations.
Duripan thickness: 13 to 60 cm.
Other features: Strong cementation between laminations.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fertaline and Foleylake series.

Fertaline soils are 15 to 25 cm to the argillic horizon, are neutral to strongly alkaline in the argillic horizon and have Btk horizons overlying the duripan. Foleylake soils have bedrock at 56 to 76 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elhina soils are on terraces. The slope ranges from 2 to 8 percent. The soils formed in alluvium derived from welded tuff. Elevations are 1,590 to 1,770 meters. The average annual precipitation ranges from 230 to 280 mm. The average annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C. The frost free season is 85 to 95 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ackett, Isknat, and Player soils. Ackett soils occur on lower terraces, and are shallow to a duripan. Isknat soils are clayey-skeletal, deep, and occur on fans. Player soils are pachic, deep, and occur on breaks.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained, slow runoff; moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Elhina soils are used for rangeland. Native vegetation is black sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Elhina soils are of small extent in south central Idaho and in northeastern Nevada. MLRA 25.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elko County, Nevada, Northern Part. 1986.

REMARKS: Base saturation: 0-3 cm- 70 percent; 3-8 cm- 70 percent; 8-20 cm- 80 percent; 20-30 cm- 80 percent.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 8 cm (A and E horizons).
Albic horizon - The zone from 3 to 8 cm (E horizon).
Abrupt textural change - The contact at 8 cm (boundary between the E and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 30 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 30 to 53 cm (2Bk horizon).
Duripan - The zone from 53 to 81 cm (2Bkqm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 8 to 30 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.