LOCATION LIBERTYBUTTE            ID

Established Series
Rev GDM/SHB/EMM
10/2013

LIBERTYBUTTE SERIES

The Libertybutte series consists of shallow, well drained soils on mountains and hills. They formed in residuum and colluvium weathered from argillite, siltite and fine grained quartzite of the Wallace, Libby and Striped Peak formations of the Belt Supergroup with an influence of loess. Slope ranges from 5 to 30 percent. The average annual air temperature is about 49 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is about 23 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Libertybutte gravelly silt loam, rangeland; on a south-facing slope of 23 percent at 3,500 feet elevation. When described on August 14, 2003, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)

Bt1--4 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common discontinuous faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bt2--11 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 25 percent gravel, 10 percent channers; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Crt--16 to 19 inches; fractured, weathered metasedimentary bedrock with less than 5 percent soil material between fractures and fractures greater than 4 inches apart. Some clay films on weathered rock fragments. (0 to 4 inches thick)

R--19 inches; hard, fractured metasedimentary bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Benewah County, Idaho; 5 miles west of DeSmet on the south flank of Liberty Butte; about 600 feet north and 1,200 west of the southeast corner sec. 7, T. 44 N., R. 5 W. Latitude - 47 degrees, 09 minutes, 56.2 seconds N., Longitude - 117 degrees, 00 minutes, 25.0 seconds W., NAD 83. USGS Tekoa, Wash.-Idaho quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture control section - usually dry for 60 to 90 days July through September, moist October through June (xeric moisture regime)
Average annual soil temperature - 49 to 52 degrees F.
Average summer soil temperature - 64 to 67 degrees F.
Thickness of the mollic epipedon - 7 to 15 inches
Base saturation (by NH4OAc) in all horizons between 0 to 15 inches - 60 to 100 percent
Base saturation (by sum of cations) in one horizon within 20 inches - 80 to 90 percent
Some pedons have a thin layer of Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash (May 1980) on or mixed in the surface
Depth to bedrock - 12 to 20 inches
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

A horizon:
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry or moist
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 30 percent

Bt1 horizon:
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam or loam
Clay content - 18 to 23 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 30 percent

Bt2 horizon:
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam or loam
Clay content - 18 to 23 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 30 percent
Channer content - 0 to 10 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 10 percent
Total rock fragment content - 15 to 45 percent

COMPETING SERIES:

Borland soils - dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days in summer; have 0 to 5 percent coarse fragments throughout the particle-size control section; over lithic contact of sandstone

Jilson soils - dry for more than 100 consecutive days in summer.

Malinda soils - dry for 125 consecutive days in summer; over lithic contact of basalt

Pass Canyon soils - xeric moisture regime bordering on aridic

Yrtneg soils - dry for 90 to 100 consecutive days in summer; have less than 15 percent rock fragments in particle-size control section

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Libertybutte soils are on intermound areas (where present) and on shoulders, summits and backslopes of south and west-facing mountains and hills. Slopes range from 5 to 30 percent. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived predominantly from metasedimentary bedrock with an influence of loess. Elevations range from 2,800 to 3,700 feet. The average annual air temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 20 to 25 inches. The average frost-free period is 100 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Schumacher, Pinecreek, Tekoa, and McCrosket soils. Schumacher soils are on south and west-facing hills and are deep to bedrock. Pinecreek soils are on north-facing backslopes of mountains, are very deep, and have a thick volcanic ash mantle. Tekoa soils are south-facing backslopes of hills and mountains, are loamy-skeletal, and moderately deep to bedrock. McCrosket soils are on south and east-facing backslopes of hills and mountains, are loamy-skeletal, and deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential natural vegetation is mainly Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Idaho and possibly eastern Washington; MLRAs 9 and 43A. The series is not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: BOZEMAN, MONTANA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Benewah County, Idaho, 2013.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 16 inches (A, Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 4 to 16 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - the zone from 16 to 19 inches (Crt horizon)
Lithic contact - starting at 19 inches (R horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 4 to 16 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data available for Soil Survey Sample Number: S04ID009-007, Benewah County, Idaho. NSSL Pedon Number: 05N0147

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.