LOCATION MCCAREY ID+UTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: McCarey loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 3 percent gravel and cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 3 percent gravel and cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); diffuse smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--14 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 3 percent gravel and cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bk--22 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 3 percent gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2R--35 inches; lime-coated, fractured basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Power County, Idaho; about 1 1/4 miles south of Mosby's Well in the northwest 1/4 of sec. 29, T. 4 S., R. 29 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to basalt bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to secondary lime - 15 to 25 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Rock fragments in the particle-size control section - average 0 to 10 percent
Clay content in the particle-size control section - 20 to 35 percent
A horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Reaction - slightly acid through slightly alkaline
Bt horizon
Hue - 5YR through 10YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, CL, or SICL
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent
Clay films - few or common, and faint or distinct
Reaction - neutral through moderately alkaline
Bk horizon
Value - 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, L, or CB-SIL
Reaction - neutral through strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 30 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bess, Border (T), Chesnimnus, Justesen, Pegram (T), Vicking, and Vickton series. All of these soils are deeper than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: McCarey soils are on buttes and undulating lava plains. Slopes range from 0 to 40 percent. They formed in loess or silty alluvium and material weathered from basalt. The average annual precipitation ranges from 11 to 16 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 38 to 46 degrees F. Frost-free season is 60 to 110 days. Elevation ranges from 4,500 to 6,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Goodington, Manard, Rands, Portino, and Trevino soils. Goodington, Manard, and Rands soils are fine, montmorillonitic. Portino soils are coarse-silty. Trevino soils are shallow to bedrock. Goodington, Manard, and Rands soils are on older lava flows. Portino and Trevino soils are on landscape positions similar to McCarey but at lower elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This McCarey soil is used mainly for rangeland. The potential natural vegetation is mainly mountain big sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush or three-tip sagebrush, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Idaho and northeastern Utah. This series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Power County, Idaho, 1976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this series are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 14 inches (A and Bt1 horizons)
Over thickened mollic colors are due to dark colored sand grains.
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 5 to 22 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon)
Calcic horizon - the zone from approximately 22 to 35 inches (Bk horizon)