LOCATION GOLDAHO IDEstablished Series
The Goldaho series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in glacial till. The Goldaho soils are on moraines. Permeability is very slow. Slopes are 5 to 35 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the average annual temperature is about 39 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Paleargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Goldaho gravelly loam-on a 5 percent slightly concave, west aspect in rangeland at 5,300 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on October 6, 1980, the soil was moist throughout.)
E--0 to 6 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles; many distinct clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Btk1--11 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay, very pale brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; common faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Btk2--17 to 37 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; and pockets of weak red (10 R 4/3) moist in areas of decomposing coarse fragments; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium prismatic; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; 30 percent pebbles; few faint clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)
Btk3--37 to 53 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; with pockets of white (5Y 8/2), decomposing coarse fragments; light gray (5Y 7/2) moist; moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; 5 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Btk4--53 to 61 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; with pockets of red (10Y 5/6), decomposing coarse fragments; red (10Y 4/6) moist in areas of decomposing coarse fragments; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; 10 percent pebbles; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Custer County, Idaho; about 11 miles south of Patterson, Idaho;, about 400 feet west and 400 feet south of the northeast corner of section 13, T.12 N., R.23E. Latitude - 44 degrees, 22 minutes, 35 seconds North; Longitude - 113 degrees, 40 minutes, 20 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 43 degrees F
Control section - 40 to 60 percent clay
Coarse fragments: 0 to 20 percent
Depth to argillic - 4 to 9 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 8 to 17 inches
Reaction of profile - slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline
E horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Bt horizon
Value - 4 through 6 dry or moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Btk horizons
Hue - 7.5YR, 10YR with individual pockets of hue 5Y to 10R
Value - 5 through 8 dry and 4 through 7 moist
Chroma - 2 through 6 dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 40 percent
Coarse fragments - 0 to 20 percent (mainly pebbles)
Texture - GR-SIC, SIC, GR-C, C, with CL or GR-CL, when present, in the lower part
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fourwheel, Toney and Zoesta series. Fourwheel soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to lithic bedrock. Toney soils are moderately deep to paralithic bedrock. Zoesta soils lack a calcic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Goldaho soils are on moraines. These soils formed in glacial till. Slopes are 5 to 35 percent. Elevations are 5,000 to 6,500 feet. The climate is cold and moist in winter and dry in summer. Average annual precipitation is 7 to 10 inches; average annual temperature is 38 to 40 degrees F. Frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arbus, Ringle and Snowslide soils on outwash fans and fan terraces. Arbus soils have cryic soil temperature regimes and sandy-skeletal control sections. Ringle soils have sandy-skeletal control sections. Snowslide soils have loamy-skeletal control sections
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium and rapid runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread and shadscale.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Idaho. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Custer County, Idaho, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochic epipedon
Argillic horizon - The zone from 6 to 60 inches
Calcic horizon - The zone from 11 to 53 inches
Calculated linear extensibility is 6.0 to 8.0 centimeters.