LOCATION FELTHAM ID+OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Feltham loamy fine sand, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C1--6 to 32 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; few fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 38 inches thick)
IIC2ca--32 to 44 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few fine and medium roots; many fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous, lime in small white splotches and thin veins; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
IIC3ca--44 to 49 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) with fine spots of brown (10YR 5/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and thick platy structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; about 20 percent rounded nodules (cicada krotovinas) of soil material about 3/4 inch in diameter interior of nodules is slightly calcareous; matrix moderately calcareous and has large splotches and vein of lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
IVC4ca--49 to 64 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and brown (10R 5/3) moist; few pebbles; weak medium plates or laminations; hard, friable slightly sticky and slightly plastic; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4). (0.5 to several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Canyon County, Idaho; about 2 miles north and 5 miles west of Wilder on a terrace having percent slope and an elevation of 2,280 feet; 768 feet south and 65 feet east of the northwest corner of SE1/4 sec. 6, T. 4 N., R. 5 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 53 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 66 degrees to 73 degrees F. The soils are usually dry, but are moist between depths of 12 and 36 inches for 60 to 75 days in late winter and spring and are dry for 60 to 90 days in summer and autumn. Organic matter content is estimated to be 0.25 to 1.0 percent. The soil averages loamy fine sand or loamy sand in the 10- to 40-inch section. The depth to calcareous material commonly ranges from 15 to 35 inches but in some pedons lime is lacking.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 through 5 moist.
The C1 horizon has the same colors as the A horizon or is 1 unit of value lighter, and it ranges to 4 in chroma. The A and C1 horizons are noncalcareous and neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Cca horizon contains less than 15 percent carbonate and commonly less than 10 percent and it is mildly to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Tindahay series in the same family and the Cashmere, Chedehap, Davey, Escalante, Lolalita, Quincy, Toll and Turbyfill series. Cashmere, Chedehap, Escalante, Lolalita, and Turbyfill soils are coarse-loamy in the control section. Also, Cashmere soils have a mollic epipedon and Chedehap soils have a cambic horizon. Quincy and Toll soils have coarse textured control sections. containing no layer finer than loamy fine sand. Tindahay soils lack medium or moderately coarse textured layers below depths of 30 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The soils are on terraces and alluvial fans at elevations of 2,000 to 4,500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent but are mostly less than 7 percent. The soils formed in alluvium which usually is wind modified, is dominantly from granitic or similar acid igneous rock sources, and contains some mafic material. The climate is middle-latitude steppe (Trewartha's modified Koppen System) with moist winters and dry summers. The mean annual temperature is 45 degrees to 51 degrees F. Average freeze-free period is 125 to 170 days and mean annual precipitation is 7 to 12 inches including 0.5 to 2 feet of snowfall.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Quincy and Turbyfill soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow or medium runoff; rapid permeability in upper part and moderately rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principally irrigated cropland. Crops are small grains, corn, sugar beets, potatoes, hay, and pasture. Vegetation of uncultivated areas is big sagebrush, cheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, needleandthread grass, Russian thistle, wild mustard, Sandberg bluegrass, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon