LOCATION GOLDAHO            ID
Established Series
Rev. KWH/RWW/CLM
09/1999

GOLDAHO 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.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.