LOCATION LIGGET IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Lamellic Haplocryepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ligget coarse sandy loam - on a 45 percent slope at an elevation of 4,900 feet in forest lands. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (10YR 3/3) slightly decomposed needles, twigs, and cones; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A1--1 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; very weak thin platy and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 11 percent angular gravel, mostly less than 5 mm. in diameter; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard and very friable; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and common medium tubular pores; two large krotovinas; 5 percent angular gravel, mostly less than 5 mm. in diameter; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard and very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and few medium pores; 5 percent angular gravel, mostly less than 5 mm. in diameter; very few thin clay films in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Bw2--20 to 31 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; hard and friable; few fine, very fine, and medium roots; common very fine and medium and few coarse tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores and thin nearly continuous films in lamellae; eight 3-mm. thick pale brown lamellae; 5 percent angular gravel, less than 5 mm. in diameter; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 25 inches thick)
Bw3--31 to 44 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky and weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard and friable; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; eight 3-mm. thick lamellae; 3 percent angular gravel, less than 5 mm. in diameter; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick).
BC--44 to 62 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; nearly continuous thin clay films in some pores, in lamellae, and as bridging; total thickness of 3 or 4 inches of brown (7.5YR 5/4) finer textured thin lamellae; 3 percent angular gravel, less than 5 mm. in diameter; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick).
Cr--62 to 70 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) moderately weathered quartz diorite, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) stains, streaks, and splotches; rock structure; very hard, can barely be broken in hands; thick clay films in some fractures; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear irregular boundary. (1 to 20 inches thick).
R--70 to 75 inches; somewhat weathered and stained quartz diorite; some can be broken in hands; very strongly acid (pH 4.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Valley county, Idaho; Skull Creek road; coordinates from the fiducial center of aerial photograph ELD 43-117 are 0.48 inch north and 0.30 inch east; Southeast 1/4, Northwest 1/4, section 24, T. 12 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock - 40 to 80 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 38 to 44 degrees F.
Average summer soil temperature with no 0 horizon - 55 to 59
degrees F.
Texture control section - coarse sandy loam or sandy loam
Weighted average percent coarse fragments in the control section - 0 to 20 percent
Solum thickness - 28 to 65 inches
Base saturation (by NH4Oac) upper part - 50 to 75 percent (more than 60 percent in some part between 10 and 30 inches)
Base saturation lower part - 30 to 45 percent
Reaction B horizon - very strongly acid
A horizons
value dry - 5 or 6
value moist - 3 or 4
chroma dry and moist - 2 or 3
Reaction - slightly acid or moderately acid
Bw horizons
lamellae - 2 to 5 mm. thick
Reaction - slightly acid to very strongly acid
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Elkner series. Elkner soils are loamy coarse sand in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Similar soils are the Fairbanks and Gorus series in different families. Fairbanks soils are coarse-silty. Gorus soils are fine-loamy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The soils are in rolling to very steep, dissected hills and mountains. Slopes are mostly 40 to 55 percent but range from 5 to 60 percent. The elevations range from 4,000 feet, where aspects are northerly, to 7,000 feet or higher. The soils formed in deeply weathered dioritic or related materials. The mean annual precipitation is 25 to 32 inches, including 8 to 13 feet of snowfall. The average frost-free period ranges from 30 to 80 days. Average annual air temperature is 36 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bryan, Pyle, and Scriver series. Bryan soils have an umbric epipedon. Pyle soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock and lack Bw horizons. Scriver soils have a Mollic epipedon and argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; and moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for forestry, watershed, wildlife,
grazing, and recreation. Ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and grand fir are the main trees. Ground cover is ninebark and tall huckleberry and in warmer sites, pinegrass or elk sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Central Idaho. It is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Middle Fork Payette River Area, Idaho, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 1 to 6 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 44 inches (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 horizons).
Temperature regime - cryic
Moisture regime - Udic
Lamellae - present in the profile (Bw2, Bw3, BC).
The 3/2008 description reflects a change in classification from Coarse -loamy, mixed, superactive Lamellic Eutrocryepts to Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Lamellic Haplocryepts due to revision of the cryepts great groups and subgroups. The competing series section was not updated and should be reviewed after all the cryepts have been re-classified.