LOCATION KEELER                  ID

Established Series
Rev. CJW-BDG-EMM
06/2013

KEELER SERIES

The Keeler series consists of very deep, well drained soils on mountain slopes, hills, and ridges. They formed in material weathered from granitic or metamorphic bedrock with a mantle of loess and minor amounts of volcanic ash. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high. Slope ranges from 10 to 75 percent. The average annual air temperature is about 43 degrees F and the average annual precipitation is about 50 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Vitrandic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Keeler ashy silt loam, forest; on a northeast-facing concave slope of 52 percent at 3,220 feet elevation. When described on May 16, 1983, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs.

Oe--1 to 2 inch; decomposed organic matter. (O horizons 1 to 3 inches thick)

A--2 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

BA--7 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)

Bt1--18 to 29 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 35 inches thick)

Bt2--29 to 38 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many faint, common distinct, and few prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)

2Bt3--38 to 50 inches; mixed very pale brown (10YR 7/4) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; many faint, common distinct and few prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent fine pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 26 inches thick)

2Bt4--50 to 62 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores and few prominent clay films lining pores; 10 percent fine pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Shoshone County, Idaho, about 3.5 miles southwest of Clarkia; about 1,050 feet east and 2,550 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 22 T. 42 N., R. 1 E. Latitude - 46 degrees, 58 minutes, 16 seconds North Longitude - 116 degrees, 19 minutes, 30 seconds West. USGS Bechtel Butte quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - usually dry for 25 to 35 consecutive days August to September, moist September through July (udic moisture regime)
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 45 degrees F
Average summer soil temperature - 47 to 50 degrees F with an O horizon (frigid temperature regime)
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches
Solum thickness - 40 to greater than 60 inches

Volcanic glass content - 5 to 20 percent (estimated)
Acid-oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe - 0.4 to 1.0 percent (estimated)
Moist bulk density - 1.0 to 1.2 g/cc (estimated)

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value -3 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Texture - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 8 to 17 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 6 percent gravel
Reaction - 5.4 to 7.3

BA horizon (absent in some pedons)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 10 to 21 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 2 percent gravel
Reaction - 5.4 to 7.3

Bw horizons - present in some pedons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam or loam
Clay content - 10 to 15 percent
Rock fragment content - 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 1 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - 5.4 to 7.3

Bt horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Texture - loam, silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content - 15 to 30 percent (weighted average greater than 18 percent)
Rock fragments - 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 15 percent
total rock fragments
Base saturation - 35 to 50 percent
Reaction - 4.9 to 6.5

2Bt horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture - loam, sandy clay loam, sandy loam or clay loam
Clay content - 12 to 34 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 6 percent cobbles, 0 to 7 percent stones, 0 to 30 percent total fragments
Base saturation - 35 to 50 percent
Reaction - 4.9 to 6.5

2C and 2BC horizons - present in some pedons
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6 dry, 3 to 8 moist
Texture - loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam or loamy sand
Clay content - 5 to 19 percent
Rock content - 0 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 40 percent total fragments
Reaction - 5.1 to 6.2

COMPETING SERIES:

Bechtel soils: are deep to a paralithic contact

Christoff soils: have E horizons above the argillic with >60 percent ash

Sly soils: have no decline in clay content with depth in the argillic


GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Keeler soils are on all aspects of mountain slopes, hills, and ridges. Slopes range from 10 to 75 percent. These soils formed in material weathered from granitic or metamorphic bedrock with a mantle of loess and minor amounts of volcanic ash. Elevations range from 1,600 to 5,050 feet (488 to 1540 meters). The average annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, average annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 65 inches (660 to 1651 mm), and the average frost-free period is from 50 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Threebear, Jacot, and Nakarna soils. Threebear soils are on dissected terraces and toeslopes, and have a fragipan. Jacot soils are on convex foothill slopes and are ashy over loamy. Nakarna soils are on steeper north-facing mountain slopes and are ashy over loamy.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, recreation, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Potential natural vegetation is mainly western hemlock, western redcedar, western white pine, grand fir, Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, and western larch, with an understory of queencup beadlily, goldthread, longtube twinflower, myrtle pachystima, common beargrass, bunchberry dogwood, thinleaf alder, common prince's pine, dampwoods blueberry, and whiteflower rhododendron.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Idaho. This soil is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shoshone County, Idaho, 1993.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (Oi, Oe and A horizons)

Argillic horizon - the zone from 18 to 62 inches (Bt1, Bt2, 2Bt3 and 2Bt4 horizons)

Particle-size control section - the zone from 18 to 38 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.