LOCATION GRASSHOPPER        ID
Established Series
Rev. BLR-BG-JAL
01/2003

GRASSHOPPER SERIES


The Grasshopper series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils formed in mixed alluvium. They are on floodplains. Permeability is moderately slow and slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The average precipitation is about 37 inches and the average annual temperature is about 42 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, frigid Aquandic Endoaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Grasshopper loam, in a pasture at 3,050 feet elevation. When described on July 22, 1993 the profile was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; many very fine, few fine irregular pores; 1 percent fine mica flakes; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick).

AB--8 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; many very fine tubular and irregular, few fine irregular pores; few very fine faint yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations; 1 percent fine mica flakes; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick).

Btg--16 to 22 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; strong very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; many very fine, common fine irregular, common very fine tubular pores; common very fine and fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations; common faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 2 percent fine mica flakes; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 21 inches thick).

E--22 to 31 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine roots; many very fine irregular, common very fine and fine tubular pores; many fine and medium prominent brown (10YR 4/3) and few fine prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) moist redox concentrations; 2 percent fine mica flakes; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary.

EB--31 to 40 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular pores; many fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations and common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) moist redox depletions; common faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 2 percent fine mica flakes; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. ( Combined thickness of E and/or EB horizons is 0 to 21 inches).

Btgb--40 to 53 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; moderate very coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots on faces of peds, few roots on interior peds; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; many fine and medium prominent brown (10YR 4/3) moist redox concentrations inside prisms and along root channels; many distinct dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 2 percent fine mica flakes; moderately acid (pH 5.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 29 inches thick).

Cgb1--53 to 58 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) very gravelly coarse sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; massive; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular, common very fine tubular pores; 1 percent fine mica flakes; 60 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary.

Cgb2--58 to 64 inches; gray (5YR 5/1) loam, dark gray (5YR 4/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular, common very fine and fine irregular pores; 1 percent fine mica flakes, 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (14 to 30 inches thick).

Cgb3--64 to 80 inches; gray (5YR 6/1) extremely gravelly loamy coarse sand, gray (5Y 5/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular, common very fine and fine tubular pores; 1 percent fine mica flakes; 80 percent gravel; common fine to medium charcoal; slightly acid (pH 6.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Clearwater County, Idaho; about 1 mile northeast of Weippe, Idaho, about 750 feet north and 1,850 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 2, T. 35 N., R. 4E.; Latitude - 46 degrees, 24 minutes, 0 seconds North; Longitude - 115 degrees, 55 minutes, 27 seconds West.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 45 degrees F.
Depth to apparent water table - 16 to 30 inches November to July and 30 to 42 inches August to October (median values)
Umbric epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches

A and AB horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value - 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry, 1 to 3 moist
Textures - ASHY-L, ASHY-SIL, ASHY-SL, ASHY-SICL
Clay content - 12 to 30 percent
Reaction - very strongly acid to neutral
Acid-oxlate Al plus 1/2 Fe - 0.4 to 0.90 percent
Volcanic glass content - 5 to 20 percent

Btg horizon
Value - 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Texture - L, CL, SIL
Clay content - 20 to 34 percent
Reaction - very strongly acid to slightly acid

E and EB horizons
Value - 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - SL, SIL, L
Clay content - 17 to 23 percent
Reaction - moderately acid or slightly acid

Btgb horizon
Hue - 10YR to 5Y, and N
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 1 to 4 dry or moist
Textures - L, CL, SIL, SICL
Clay content - 24 to 34 percent
Reaction - moderately acid or slightly acid

BCg horizon (present in some pedons)
Hue - 10YR or 5B
Value - 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 1 to 6 moist
Textures - L, SL, SCL
Clay content - 10 to 25 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel

Cgb or Cg horizons
Hue - 7.5YR to 5Y, and N to 5B
Value - 4 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 1 to 8 dry or moist
Textures - STRATIFIED SICL - GRX-LCOS
Clay content - 6 to 35 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 80 percent gravel, 0 to 35 percent cobbles, 0 to 85 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - very strongly acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grasshopper soils are in level floodplains at elevations of 2,750 to 3,500 feet. These soils are formed in mixed alluvium with slopes of 0 to 3 percent. The average annual temperature is 38 to 44 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 30 to 50 inches and the frost free season is 50 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Grangemont(T), Kauder(T), Lewhand(T), Reggear(T), and Riswold(T) series. Grangemont soils are on undulating plateaus and are fine-silty. Kauder soils are on undulating plateaus and have a fragipan. Reggear soils are on undulating plateaus, have a fragipan at 20 to 40 inches and have mixed volcanic ash and loess in the epipedon. Riswold soils are on hills and have thick volcanic ash mantles.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; frequent brief flooding from March to June. Typically the water table occurs at a depth of 16 to 30 inches from November to July and at 30 to 42 inches from August to October. Runoff is slow and permeability is moderately slow.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, hay production, and watershed. Potential native vegetation is common camas, sedges, rushes, black hawthorn, tufted hairgrass, common snowberry, and scattered lodgepole pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Idaho, Grasshopper soils are not extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clearwater County, Idaho, 2003.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:

Umbric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 16 inches (A and AB horizons).

Argillic horizon - The zone from 16 to 22 inches (Bt horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 16 to 22 inches (Bt horizon).

The ranges in values listed under the A horizon for Volcanic glass content and Acid-oxalate extractable Al+1/2Fe are estimates only.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.