LOCATION GROUSE                  ID+WY

Established Series
Rev. CBR-RJS
04/2011

GROUSE SERIES


The Grouse series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess. Grouse soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes range from 4 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 710 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 0.8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive Eutric Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Grouse silt, on a north facing, linear convex, 12 percent slope in forest at an elevation of 2060 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 2 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) rubbed slightly decomposed plant material, black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist; 85 percent fiber and 45 percent rubbed; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 cm thick)

A1--2 to 6 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt wavy boundary.

A2--6 to 22 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 20 to 34 cm)

E --22 to 40 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine and medium and common fine and very coarse tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 41 cm thick)

EBt--40 to 53 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine and common medium tubular; 5 percent faint clay films on surfaces along pores and 90 percent prominent skeletans on all faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 21 cm thick)

Bt1--53 to 62 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium roots; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse tubular pores; 3 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; 20 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 80 percent prominent skeletans on all faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--62 to 86 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 10 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; 15 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 70 percent prominent skeletans on all faces of peds; slightly acid (pH 6.2) gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--86 to 120 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; 15 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; 15 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 40 percent prominent skeletans on all faces of peds; 1 percent manganese masses; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons is 50 to 71 cm)

Bt4--120 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam; olive (10Y 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few coarse roots; common very fine, fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; 10 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 10 percent prominent skeletans on all faces of peds; 1 percent manganese masses; neutral (pH 6.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Teton County, ID; about 9.4 kilometers northeast of Tetonia; located about 878 meters east and 352 meters north of the southwest corner of section 17, T. 6N., R. 46E.; lat. 43 degrees, 50 minutes, 31.3 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees, 2 minutes, 59.7 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to argillic horizon: 53 to 74 cm
Particle size control section average clay: 20 to 32 percent
Reaction: pH 5.1 to 7.3
Soil moisture regime: udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 2.0 to 4.8 degrees C.; cryic soil temperature regime
Mean summer soil temperature: 4.0 to 7.0 degrees C.

Oi or Oe horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value: 2 or 2.5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 moist
pH: 5.1 to 5.5

A horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value: 5 or 6 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3 moist
Texture: silt or silt loam
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent
pH: 5.6 to 6.0

E horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist
Texture: silt or silt loam
Clay content: 8 to 12 percent
pH: 5.6 to 6.0

EBt horizon
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist
Texture: silt or silt loam
Clay content: 8 to 16 percent
pH: 5.6 to 6.5

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 32 percent
pH: 5.6 to 7.3

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess
Landscape: mountains
Landform: mountain slopes
Slopes: 4 to 40 percent
Elevation: 1,821 to 2,249 meters
Mean annual air temperature: 0.5 to 2.8 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation: 533 to 914 mm
Frost-free period: 30 to 50 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Game (T)(ID) and Pinochle (T)(ID) series. The Game soils have a loamy-skeletal particle size class and occur on concave positions. The Pinochle soils are moderately deep and occur on convex shoulder positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability

USE AND VEGETATION:
The major uses are wood products, livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The native plant community is subalpine fir and lodgepole pine with an understory of common snowberry, sticky geranium and pinegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Grouse soils are of small extent in southeastern Idaho and western Wyoming; MLRA 43B.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Teton County, Idaho, 2011.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 40 cm (Oi, A1, A2, and E horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 53 to 152 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, and Bt4 horizons)
Particle size control section: The zone from 53 to 103 cm (Bt1, Bt2, and part of the Bt3 horizons)
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Soil moisture regime: udic

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Lab data from NSSL, Lincoln, NE:
Typical pedon was sampled as PEDON ID: S07ID081001


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.