LOCATION FIRADING           ID+WY
Established Series
Rev. BJD-FRK-RJS
07/2010

FIRADING SERIES


The Firading series consist of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in residuum and slope alluvium from limestone. These soils are on convex hillslopes and mountain slopes. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. Permeability is moderate. The mean annual precipitation is about 381 cm and the mean annual temperature is about 3.9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Calcic Pachic Haplocryolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Firading gravelly loam, rangeland - on a 13 percent north-facing slope at an elevation of 2,170 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.3); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)

Bw--10 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine irregular pores and tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 2 percent stones; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

Bk--28 to 46 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; few fine soft masses of lime; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 cm thick)

Bkq1--46 to 71 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; silica pendants on undersides of 15 percent of the rock fragments; 45 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; disseminated lime; violently effervescent (31 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bkq2--71 to 99 cm ; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; silica pendants on undersides of 15 percent of the rock fragments; 45 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; disseminated lime; violently effervescent (31 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 30 cm thick)

R--99 cm; limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; about 8 kilometers east of Montpelier; located about 518 meters south and 762 meters west of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 13 S., R. 45 E.; Montpelier Canyon USGS quad; (Latitude 42 degrees 18 minutes 33 seconds N., Longitude 111 degrees 11 minutes 57 seconds W.) NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section: usually moist, dry for 45 consecutive days or more following the summer solstice. Xeric soil moisture regime
Mollic epipedon thickness: 41 to 64 cm
Mean annual soil temperature: 3.3 to 5.6 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 12.2 to 15.0 degrees C; cryic soil temperature regime
Depth to secondary lime: 20 to 38 cm

Particle-size control section
Total clay : 8 to 18 percent
Non carbonate clay: 4 to 16 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 65 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments: 15 to 25 percent; 15 to 20 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
pH: 6.6 to 7.8

Bw horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Clay content: 15 to 18 percent
Texture: GRV-L, GR-L
Rock fragments: 20 to 45 percent; 15 to 30 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
pH: 7.4 to 7.8

Bk horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Texture: GRV-L, GRX-L, GRV-SL, GRX-SL
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent; 35 to 50 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent - averages 5 to 25 percent
pH: 7.6 to 8.4

Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Texture: GRV-L, GRX-L, GRV-SL, GRX-SL
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent; 35 to 50 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent - averages 15 to 40 percent
pH: 7.9 to 8.4

COMPETING SERIES:
Levengood (MT) - are very deep to lithic contact
Meegernot (ID) - are very deep to lithic contact
Polumar (ID) - are deep to lithic contact
Spearhead (ID) (WY) - are very deep to lithic contact

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:

Landform: hillslopes and mountain slopes
Elevation: 1,875 to 2,332 meters
Slope: 5 to 60 percent
Parent material: slope alluvium and residuum from limestone
Mean annual precipitation: 356 to 711 mm
Mean annual air temperature: 2.2 to 5.0 degrees C.
Frost-free period: 35 to 70 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Parding (T) and Hagenbarth soils. Parding soils are very deep and are on smoother southwest to southeast facing slopes. Hagenbarth soils have clay accumulation in the subsoil and are on smoother slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very rapid runoff; moderate permeability

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, snowberry, and buckwheat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are of small extent in southeast Idaho and western Wyoming. MLRA 13.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008. The name is coined

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Pachic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 46 cm (A, Bw, Bk horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 46 to 99 cm (Bkq1, Bkq2 horizons)
Lithic contact - the boundary at 99 cm (R horizon)
Particle size control section - the zone from 25 to 99 cm (Part of the Bw and all of the Bk, Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.