LOCATION MATHESON ID+UT
Established Series
Rev. RAS/CLM/RGK/CBR
05/2018
MATHESON SERIES
Landscape--lava fields, lava plains, alluvial plains, plains
Landform--fan remnants, hillslopes, lava fields, lava flows, lava plains
Slope--0 to 25 percent
Parent material--eolian or alluvial deposits derived from mixed sources over basalt
Mean annual precipitation--about 250 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--deep, very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--aridic
Soil temperature regime--frigid
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Matheson fine sandy loam in an area of rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam that is 25 percent very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to very weak very fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary
Bw1--8 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam that is 25 percent very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; very weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to very weak very fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary
Bw2--15 to 38 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary
Bk1--38 to 81 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few hard cicada krotovinas; violently effervescent; few fine calcium carbonate masses throughout and calcium carbonate coatings on faces of peds; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary
Bk2--81 to 117 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; finely disseminated calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary
2R--117 cm; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) vesicular basalt; calcium carbonate coatings on surface of bedrock and in pores and cracks
TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; latitude 43.26889 degrees west, 112.33698 degrees north, datum WGS 84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--5.0 to 8.3 degrees C
Depth to bedrock--more than 100 cm
Depth to secondary calcium carbonates and calcic horizon--28 to 51 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Clay content--8 to 18 percent
Total rock fragment content--1 to 10 percent
A horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2-mm fraction)--fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand
Clay content--5 to 18 percent
Gravel content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--pH 6.8 to 8.4
Thickness--0 to 15 cm
Bw horizon
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2-mm fraction)--sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content--5 to 15 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Gravel content--0 to 10 percent
Cobble content--0 to 3 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--20 to 33 cm
Bk horizon
Value--6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2-mm fraction)--fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
Clay content--5 to 18 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 55 percent
Gravel content--0 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 40 percent
Stone content--0 to 2 percent
Cicada krotovinas and nodules--0 to 15 percent; very hard or hard, firm or very firm, dense, rounded or cylindrical
Calcium carbonate equivalent--10 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--50 to 100 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Atomic--particle-size control section averages more than 18 percent clay
Lariat,
Malm,
Nargon--moderately deep to lithic contact
Lidy--sand and gravel at a depth of 74 cm
Mathon--single grain in upper part; chroma of 2 or 3 dry in calcic horizon
Sparmo--secondary calcium carbonates and calcic horizon at a depth of 5 to 25 cm
Voltage--calcic horizon at a depth of 8 to 25 cm
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1310 to 1680 m
Mean annual precipitation--175 to 375 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3.3 to 7.2 degrees C
Frost-free period--70 to 125 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--5 to 150 um/sec
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses--rangeland, irrigated pasture, irrigated cropland
Potential natural vegetation--basin big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, needle and thread, streambank wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, basin wildrye, sand dropseed
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moderate extent in southeastern Idaho; MLRAs 11, 12, and 13
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bingham County, Idaho; 1972
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon--zone from 8 to 38 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Calcic horizon--zone from 38 to 117 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
Depth to lithic contact--117 cm
Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 100 cm (part of Bw2 horizon, Bk1 horizon, part of Bk2 horizon)
The previous version of this official series description stated that some pedons have a sodium adsorption ratio as high as 30. The soils that have high sodium accumulations now correlate to the Coffee series (Sodic Xeric Haplocalcids).
Taxonomic version--Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.