LOCATION MACKEY ID+NV

Established Series
Rev. LMR/ALH/CLM
01/2023

MACKEY SERIES

The Mackey series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from extrusive rocks and loess. Mackey soils are on foothills, dipslopes, and mountains and have slopes of 8 to 60 percent. Permeability is moderately rapid. The average annual precipitation is about 300 mm, and the average annual air temperature is about 9.4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Mackey extremely stony sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely stony sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; 20 percent angular stones, 60 percent total rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 20 cm thick)

Bw1--10 to 25 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots; common very fine pores; 20 percent angular stones, 40 percent total rock fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 23 cm thick)

Bw2--25 to 30 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very stony loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few very fine pores; 15 percent angular stones, 45 percent total rock fragments; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 cm thick)

Bk1--30 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely stony sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and common very fine roots; 15 percent angular stones, 65 percent total rock fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 36 cm thick)

Bk2--53 to 81 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely stony loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 80 percent rock fragments; common very fine and few fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 28 cm thick)

R--81 cm; slightly weathered quartz latite and volcanic glass bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Cassia County, Idaho; 1,000 feet south and 100 feet west from the center of section 5, T. 12 S., R .19 E.; USGS Stricker Butte 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 24 minutes 27 seconds N and longitude 114 degrees 15 minutes 53 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.4075000 latitude, -114.2647222 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 9.4 to 11.7 degrees C.
Average annual precipitation is about 250 to 360 mm.
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, dry from late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Depth to bedrock - 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to calcium carbonate - 20 to 50 cm.
Rock fragments - upper profile, 10 to 60 percent; lower profile, 35 to 80 percent

A horizon
Value - 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist

Bw horizons
Value - 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - GR-SL, GR-L, GR-CL, GRV-SL, GRV-L, GRV-CL, STV-SL, STV-L, or STV-CL
Structure - fine or very fine granular; medium, fine or very fine subangular blocky

Bk horizon
Value - 5 through 8 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - STV-SL, CBX-L, GRX-SL, STX-SL, STX-LS, GRV-SL, or GRX-L

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bluegulch, Cewat, Darkcanyon, Finley, Graveya, Minat, Nibbs, Panlee, Veet, and Veta series. Bluegulch, Graveya, Minat, Nibbs, Panlee, Veet, and Veta soils are over 100 cm deep to bedrock. Darkcanyon soils lack secondary calcium carbonates. Finley soils have gravelly and cobbly sand in the lower part of the control section. Cewat soils have an average annual soil temperature of 12.2 to 15.0 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mackey soils are on foothills, dipslopes, and mountains at elevations of 612 to 1,830 meters. Slopes range from 8 to 60 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from mixed sources, including quartz latite, ignimbrite, welded tuff, basalt, rhyolite, and andesite with some influence of loess. The climate is semiarid. Average annual precipitation is about 250 to 360 mm. Average annual temperature is about 8.3 to 10.6 degrees C. Frost-free period is about 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kanlee, Mulett, Turbyfill, Itca, and Pocatello soils. Kanlee soils have mollic epipedons and do not have skeletal control sections. Itca and Mulett soils have bedrock at depths of less than 50 cm. Pocatello and Turbyfill soils are deeper than 100 cm to rock.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Mackey soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, and juniper.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern and south central Idaho. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 25. Other acreage occurs in MLRA 11.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cassia County, Idaho, 1975.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bw1 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 30 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 30 to 81 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 81 cm (R layer).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.