LOCATION GRUNDER IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Xeric Argicryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Grunder silt loam; forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 3 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--3 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 1 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bt--12 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; common very fine irregular and few very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and on surfaces along root channels; 1 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
B/C--22 to 26 inches; 60% brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist, 40% brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) gravelly fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
R--26 inches; non-calcareous yellow sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; approximately 1 miles south and 4 miles west of Bloomington; about 350 feet north and 2,300 feet east of the southwest corner of section 30, T. 14 S., R. 43 E.; USGS Paris 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees 10 minutes 14 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 28 minutes 38 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section - usually moist, dry in all parts for 45 consecutive days or more in the four months following the summer solstice. Xeric moisture regime.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 7 to 15 inches (may extend into the Bt horizon)
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 42 degrees F.
Particle-size control section:
Clay content - 26 to 34 percent
Rock fragment content - 1 to 25 percent (1 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles)
A horizon (some pedons may have an A2 horizon)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry, or moist
Texture - loam or silt loam
Clay content - 16 to 22 percent
Rock fragment content - 1 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction - moderately acid or slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)
Bt horizon (some pedons may have a Bt2 horizon)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6 dry, or moist
Texture - loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam or their gravelly analogues
Clay content - 26 to 34 percent
Rock fragment content - 1 to 25 percent (1 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles)
Reaction - moderately acid or slightly acid (pH 5.6 to 6.5)
B/C horizon (some pedons may have BC, C/B, CB or Bw horizons)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 to 6 dry, or moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry, or moist
Texture - sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam or their gravelly analogues
Clay content - 10 to 30 percent
Rock fragment content- 1 to 25 percent (1 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles)
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral (pH 6.1 to 7.3)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dra, Monida, Newlands, Primeaux, Rammel, Shotgun, and Tingey series. Dra soils have calcareous materials at depths between 20 and 32 inches. Monida and Tingey soils are very deep and have horizons with secondary carbonate accumulation. Newlands soils are deep to bedrock. Primeaux soils have 35 to 60 percent gravel in the lower portion of the solum and are in areas that average 14 to 16 inches of annual precipitation. Rammel soils are channery, cobbly or stony in the argillic horizon and have horizons with secondary carbonate accumulation. Shotgun soils are in areas that average 25 to 30 inches of annual precipitation and were formed on loess covered basalt plains.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - hillslopes and mountain slopes (dominantly north and east aspects)
Elevation - 6,000 to 7,575 feet
Slope - 10 to 50 percent
Parent material - mixed alluvium from quartzite, non-calcareous sandstone and/or non-calcareous siltstone
Climate - long, cold winters; moist springs; warm, dry summers
Average annual precipitation - 16 to 24 inches
Average annual air temperature - 36 to 41 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 50 to 70 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Danburn, Richollow, and Swan Flat soils. Danburn soils are very deep and pachic. Swan Flat soils are very deep, loamy-skeletal and calcareous throughout. Richollow soils are shallow to limestone bedrock and calcareous throughout. Swan Flat and Richollow are in rangeland and lack an O horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to high surface runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Grunder soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is quaking aspen, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, snowberry, serviceberry, chokecherry, pine reedgrass, slender wheatgrass, mountain brome and Idaho fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008. The name comes from nearby Grunder Hollow.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the mineral soil surface to 12 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 12 to 22 inches (Bt horizon).
Particle size control section - The zone from 12 to 22 inches (Bt horizon).
Lithic contact at 26 inches.
Grunder soils have a cryic temperature regime and a xeric moisture regime.