LOCATION LOTUSPOINT ID

Established Series
Rev. CJW-RWL-RJS
10/2016

LOTUSPOINT SERIES

The Lotuspoint series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils on mountains, hills, ridges, breaklands, and canyonsides. They formed in material weathered from metasedimentary bedrock with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess. Permeability is moderate. Slope ranges from 5 to 75 percent. The average annual air temperature is about 48 degrees F, and the average annual precipitation is about 32 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Andic Haploxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Lotuspoint stony ashy silt loam, forest; on a southwest-facing slope of 63 percent at 3,500 feet elevation. When described on October 4, 1982, the soil was moist in the upper 10 inches and dry below. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs mixed with 1980 Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash.

A1--1 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly ashy silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; about 0.1 percent stones on the surface; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

A2--5 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very cobbly ashy silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, fine, and few medium tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)

2Bw1--10 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely cobbly silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; 25 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 15 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)

2Bw2--18 to 31 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films lining pores; 30 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles, 20 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)

2R--31 inches; hard, slightly fractured metasedimentary bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Benewah County, Idaho; about 1.1 miles southwest of St. Joe Baldy, about 1,800 feet west and 2,550 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 11, T. 46 N., R.1 W. Latitude 47 degrees, 20 minutes, 56.1 seconds N.; Longitude 116 degrees, 25 minutes, 23.5 seconds W.; NAD 83; USGS St. Joe Baldy quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days mid-July to mid-September, moist mid-September to mid-July
Average annual soil temperature - 48 to 52 degrees F
Average summer soil temperature - 58 to 62 degrees F
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Base saturation (sum) - 35 to 65 percent
Base saturation (NH4OAc), 10 to 30 inches - 50 to 100 percent
Surface stones- 0 to 0.1 percent
Volcanic ash mantle - 7 to 12 inches thick
Volcanic glass content - 30 to 65 percent (estimated)
Acid-oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe - 1.0 to 3.0 percent (estimated)

A horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam
Clay content - 3 to 8 percent
Rock fragments - 15 to 40 percent in the upper part and 35 to 60 percent in the lower part
Bulk density - 0.65 to 0.95 g/cc (estimated)
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

AB horizon (present in some pedons)
Hue - 10YR, 7.5YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture - ashy silt loam
Clay content - 3 to 8 percent
Gravel content - 5 to 30 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 15 percent
Stone content - 0 to 20 percent
Total rock fragments - 25 to 55 percent
Moist bulk density - 0.65 to 0.95 g/cc (estimated)
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral

2Bw horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 5, 6, or 7 dry, 3, 4, 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture - CBVsilt loam or loam
Clay content - 3 to 10 percent
Rock fragments - 50 to 90 percent
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral

2C horizon (present in some pedons)
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist
Texture - loam or silt loam
Clay content - 3 to 10 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 60 percent
Channer content - 0 to 5 percent
Cobble content - 20 to 70 percent
Stone content - 0 to 30 percent
Flagstone content - 0 to 15 percent
Total rock fragments - 60 to 90 percent
Reaction very strongly acid or moderately acid

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Terbies series.
Terbies soils: are deep to a lithic contact (sandstone) and have a medial sandy loam surface texture.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lotuspoint soils are on south aspects of mountains, hills, ridges, breaklands, and canyonsides. Slopes range from 5 to 75 percent. These soils formed in material weathered from metasedimentary rocks with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess. Elevations range from 2,080 to 4,000 feet in East Benewah and Shoshone Counties and up to 4,950 feet in West Benewah County. The climate is warm, subhumid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 50 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 28 to 40 inches. The frost-free period is from 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ahrs, Honeyjones, Hugus, Pinecreek, and Tigley soils. Ahrs soils are on east and west-facing mountain slopes and are very deep. Honeyjones soils are on north-facing mountain slopes and are very deep. Hugus soils are on north-facing foothills, are very deep and have an argillic horizon. Pinecreek soils are on south-facing mountain slopes and are very deep. Tigley soils are on south-facing foothills, are very deep and have an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Potential natural vegetation is mainly Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine, with an understory of common snowberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, creambush oceanspray, mallow ninebark, pine reedgrass, Idaho fescue, and low Oregon-grape.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Idaho. MLRA 43A. This soil is not 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 10 inches (Oi, A1, and A2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 10 to 31 inches (2Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons)
Volcanic ash mantle - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 31 inches (part of the 2Bw1 and the 2Bw2 horizon)

Classification change in 1/2005: from Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Andic Dystroxerepts to Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Andic Haploxerepts based on Ninth Edition, 2003 taxonomic criteria and lab data.

Further investigation still needed regarding both the mixed vs. isotic mineralogy and the Andic vs. Vitrandic subgroup.

Classification change in 1/2009: from Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Andic Haploxerepts to Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Andic Haploxerepts.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data available for Soil Survey Sample Number: S03ID-009-007, NSSL Pedon Number: 04N0225, and SO5ID009-1, NSSL Pedon Number 05N0875. Benewah County, Idaho and SCS sample number 81-ID-009-4 and corresponding U of I lab sample number 81-ID-0554 from east Benewah County, ID, by the University of Idaho, Moscow ID.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.