LOCATION KARNEY IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Karney loam -- on a 20 percent convex southwest-facing slope at 3,680 feet elevation in rangeland. When described on September 14, 1995, the soil was dry to 20 inches and slightly moist below. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong thick platy structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; strong thick platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; black (10YR 2/1) organic stains on faces of peds; continuous 5 to 10mm wide cracks; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bt2--6 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; black (10YR 2/1) organic stains on faces of peds; continuous 5 to 10mm wide cracks; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bt3--12 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse subangular blocky; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Bt4--20 to 31 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt broken boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)
2Cr--31 to 55 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) granitic grus, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; few very fine and fine roots matted in fractures; abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)
2R--55 inches; unweathered granodiorite.
TYPE LOCATION: Ada County, Idaho; about 5.5 miles north of Camels Back Park in Boise; 1,800 feet south and 1,450 feet east of the northwest corner of section 3, T.4 N., R.2 E.; USGS Boise North Quadrangle; Latitude - 43 degrees, 42 minutes, 54 seconds N. and Longitude - 116 degrees, 12 minutes, 28 seconds W.; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 10 to 15 inches
Depth to paralithic contact - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section - 35 to 55 percent clay; greater than 20 percent fine sand or coarser; 0 to 15 percent rock fragments
Moisture control section - dry 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Average annual soil temperature - 49 to 53 degrees F.
A horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 or 2 dry or moist
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent total
Bt1 and Bt2 horizons
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 through 3 dry or moist
Texture - CL or C
Clay content - 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent total
Cracks - 5 to 15 mm wide
Bt3 and Bt4 horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - CL, C or SC
Clay content - 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 15 percent total
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ayette, Darow, Forsgren, Gimmi, Hann, Kuck, McDesh, Montour, Tub and Ukiah series. Ayette soils are 40 to 60 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Darow soils have mean annual soil temperature of 54 to 56 degrees F. and are moderately well drained. Forsgren soils are calcareous at depths of 40 to 55 inches and are very deep to bedrock. Gimmi soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and do not have hard bedrock above 60 inches. Hann soils are very deep to bedrock. Kuck soils have cracks 1 to 2 cm wide that extend to the surface, have dry colors throughout the Bt horizon of value 4 or 5 and chroma 1 or 2, and do not have a lithic contact within 60 inches. McDesh soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to hard bedrock. Montour soils are calcareous at depths of 29 to 32 inches and are very deep to bedrock. Tub soils are very deep to bedrock and have secondary carbonates at a depth of 18 to 37 inches. Ukiah soils have a mollic epipedon 15 to 30 inches thick, cracks greater than 1cm wide that extend to the surface (when uncultivated), and have a paralithic contact of basaltic or volcanic tuff origin.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Karney soils are on hill backslopes and butte escarpment footslopes at elevations of 3,000 to 4,300 feet. Slopes range from 8 to 65 percent. The soils formed in alluvium and colluvium from welded tuff, lacustrine sediments and granitic rocks over grus. The average annual precipitation is 14 to 18 inches. The average annual temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 110 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Duco, Shafer and Yad soils. Duco soils are shallow and occur on convex summits and shoulders. Shafer soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact, have clayey textures to the soil surface and occur on lower geomorphic positions. Yad soils are very deep, have clayey textures to the soil surface and occur on lower concave geomorphic positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Karney soils are used mainly for rangeland. Native vegetation is basin big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Idaho. MLRA 10. Karney soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Boise County Area, Idaho, Parts of Ada and Boise Counties, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - zone from the surface to 12 inches (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - zone from 3 to 31 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons)
Paralithic contact - zone from 31 to 55 inches (2Cr horizon)
Lithic contact - at 55 inches (2R)
Particle-size control section - zone from 3 to 23 inches
Linear extensibility - 6.4 cm from the soil surface to the paralithic contact (assumed)
Soil moisture regime - xeric