LOCATION LILCAN IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lilcan gravelly silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; many fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bk1--3 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; many fine irregular pores; common fine threads and carbonate masses; strongly effervescent; 30 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bk2--9 to 15 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely cobbly silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, non-sticky and non-plastic; many very fine, fine and few medium roots; common fine irregular pores; many fine and medium threads and carbonate masses; violently effervescent; 30 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
R--15 inches; limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; approximately 4 miles west of Bloomington; about 2,350 feet south and 450 feet east of the northwest corner of section 19, T. 14 S., R. 43 E.; USGS Paris 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees 11 minutes 02 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 29 minutes 04 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.
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 7 to 12 inches (extends into the Bk horizon)
Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 3 to 7 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 42 to 46 degrees F.
Particle-size control section
Clay content - 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent gravel and/or cobbles
A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 2 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - gravelly loam, gravelly silt loam or their very gravelly, cobbly or very cobbly analogues
Clay content - 8 to 17 percent
Rock fragment content - 20 to 55 percent (20 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles)
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 3 to 10 percent
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 7.8)
Bk1 horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Textures - very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very gravelly silt loam or their extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly analogues
Clay content - 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragment content - 35 to 75 percent (30 to 45 percent gravel, 5 to 30 percent cobbles)
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 10 to 25 percent
Reaction - neutral to moderately alkaline (pH 6.6 to 8.4)
Bk2 horizon (when present)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Textures - very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very gravelly silt loam or their extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly analogues
Clay content - 6 to 15 percent
Rock fragment content - 35 to 75 percent (25 to 35 percent gravel, 10 to 40 percent cobbles)
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 20 to 35 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.4)
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hotspot and Shagel series. Hotspot soils are in areas that average 12 to 14 inches of annual precipitation and are on lava plains. Shagel soils are in areas that average 10 to 14 inches of annual precipitation and were formed in rhyolite.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: hillslopes, mountain slopes and summits
Elevation: 5,950 to 7,600 feet
Slope: 2 to 50 percent
Parent material: alluvium or slope alluvium over residuum derived from limestone, dolomite, or sandstone.
Climate: long, cold winters; moist springs; warm, dry, summers.
Average annual precipitation: 15 to 24 inches
Average annual temperature: 39 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free season: 70 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Jacanyon series. The Jacanyon soils are fine-loamy and moderately deep to bedrock. They are on backslopes and shoulders of hills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very low to medium surface runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lilcan soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly curlleaf mountain mahogany, mountain big sagebrush, low sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, serviceberry, snowberry, and few Rocky Mountain juniper.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. These soils are of small extent. MLRA 43B.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008. The name is coined from nearby Little Canyon.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 9 inches (A and Bk1 horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 3 to 15 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Lilcan soils are in a frigid temperature regime and a xeric moisture regime.