LOCATION ELTOPIA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xereptic Haplodurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Eltopia very fine sandy loam - irrigated cropland (beans), on a 3 percent slope at an elevation of 587 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Ap1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Ap2--4 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--13 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
2Bkqm--25 to 29 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) weakly cemented duripan crushes to gravelly fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; thinly laminated; few very fine roots in cracks; 30 percent pebbles; lime is in seams, occurs as coatings on laminae, and on undersides of pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
3Bkqm--29 to 35 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) moderately cemented duripan crushes to very gravelly silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots in cracks; 60 percent pebbles; lime is disseminated and also occurs on undersides of pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
3Bk--35 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely gravelly very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 70 percent pebbles; lime is on undersides of pebbles and also disseminated in the soil matrix; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Washington; 2 1/2 miles southwest of Basin City; 1,800 feet east and 600 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 33, T. 13 N., R. 29 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 50 to 55 degrees F. These soils are continuously dry in all parts between 4 and 12 inches from about May 1 to October 1, unless irrigated. Depth to the duripan ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Thickness of the duripan ranges from 4 to 10 inches. The duripan is weakly or moderately cemented and rippable.
The Ap1 horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It has granular or platy structure.
The Ap2 horizon is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Value is 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bw horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 through 5 moist. It is very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
The Bkqm horizon is weakly or moderately cemented and crushes to gravelly or very gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly or very gravelly very fine sandy loam, or gravelly or very gravelly silt loam. It is cemented with lime and silica. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 5 to 15 percent.
The 3Bk horizon has value is 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist. Texture is loamy sand, fine sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam with rock fragments range from 65 to 75 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bliss, Kodra, and Truesdale soils. Bliss soils are not gravelly in the duripan and have a zone of lime accumulation above the duripan. Kodra soils have 12 to 18 percent clay in the control section and have a strongly cemented duripan that is 16 to 25 inches thick. Truesdale soils have a zone of lime accumulation with 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Eltopia soils are on terraces at elevations of 550 to 1,000 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in loess mixed with alluvium. They are in an arid climate with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 6 to 9 inches. The mean annual temperature is 50 to 53 degrees F. The frost-free season is 180 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Taunton, Neppel, Sagehill, Wiehl, and Finley soils. The Taunton soil has an indurated duripan that overlies semi-consolidated siltstone. The Neppel soil has weakly cemented discontinuous lime-silica durinodes and lenses and lacks a duripan. The Wiehl soil has a sandstone paralithic contact within the 10 to 40 inch control section. The Finley and Sagehill soils lack a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to medium runoff; permeability is moderate above the duripan, slow in the duripan, and rapid below the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated cropland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Franklin County, Washington.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, Washington 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 13 inches, a cambic horizon from 13 to 25 inches, and a moderately cemented duripan from 29 to 35 inches. This soil is reclassified based on amendment 17 of Soil Taxonomy.