LOCATION MOONLIGHT ID
Established Series
Rev. TAM/CBR
10/2026
MOONLIGHT SERIES
The Moonlight series consists of very deep, well drained, soils that formed in loess influenced colluvium or slope alluvium from argillite, quartzite, sedimentary, or metasedimentary rock. These soils are on mountain slopes, swales, saddles, ridges, and hillslopes. Slopes are 1 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 700 mm and the mean annual air temperature is 2.0 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive Pachic Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Moonlight silt loam in mountain shrubs. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed leaves, twigs, and grasses.
Oe--3 to 5 cm; moderately decomposed leaves, twigs, and grasses.
A1--5 to 13 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine and common coarse and medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
A2--13 to 28 cm; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium, fine, and very fine and few coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
AB--28 to 66 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; many very fine irregular and common medium and fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual smooth boundary.
Bw1--66 to 104 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual irregular boundary.
Bw2--104 to 142 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine, and very fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary.
Bw3--142 to 158 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium, fine, and very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Bannock County, Idaho; USGS Moonlight Mountain topographic quadrangle; latitude 42.89036 north, longitude 112.32206 west, datum WGS 84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1.7 to 7.5 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature without an O horizon--11.7 to 13.9 degrees C.
Thickness of mollic epipedon--76 to 114 cm
Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Clay content--12 to 18 percent
Total rock fragments--5 to 20 percent
Oi or Oe horizon (when present)
Texture--slightly or moderately decomposed plant material
Reaction--pH 4.0 to 5.5
Organic matter content--55 to 95 percent
Thickness--0 to 10 cm
A horizons
Value--3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--silt loam, loam
Clay content--12 to 18 percent
Rock fragments--0 to 15 percent - 2 to 11 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 7.3
Thickness--20 to 61 cm
AB horizon
Clay content--12 to 18
Rock fragments--3 to 8 percent gravel
Reaction--pH 5.7 to 7.1
Thickness--0 to 38 cm
Bw horizon
Value--4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture (less than 2 mm fraction)--silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam
Clay content--8 to 20
Rock fragments--0 to 30 percent - 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES:
Aycab (NV)--soils are moderately deep to paralithic contact
Brownsgulch (MT)--soils have an ustic moisture regime
Coffeepot (NV)--soils are deep to paralithic contact
Coutis (WY)--soils do not have a cambic horizon
Earcree (ID)--soils have a xeric moisture regime
Fleecer (MT)--soils have an ustic moisture regime
Foxvire (NV)--soils have a mollic epipedon 40 to 64 cm thick
Gardners Fork (UT)--soils have greater than 20 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section
Grayhead (CO)--soils have an ustic moisture regime
Hailman (UT)--soils have greater than 20 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section
Naz (ID)--soils do not have a cambic horizon and have less than 13 percent clay in the particle-size control section
Razorba (CO)--soils do not have a cambic horizon and effervesce throughout
Shook (MT)--soils are moderately deep to paralithic contact
Skyway (CO)--soils are moderately deep to lithic contact
Taral (AK)--soils do not have a cambic horizon and have a lithologic discontinuity
Tosp (NV)--soils are deep to lithic contact
Waywest (T)(ID)--soils have a xeric moisture regime
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform--mountain slopes, swales, saddles, ridges, hillslopes
Elevation--1,520 to 2,980 meters
Slope--1 to 70 percent
Parent material--colluvium or slope alluvium from argillite, quartzite, sedimentary, or metasedimentary rock
Climate--long, cold winters; cool, moist springs; short, cool summers
Mean annual precipitation--400 to 1,150 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0.6 to 7.2 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: None listed.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; 5 to 15 um/sec.
USE AND VEGETATION: Moonlight soils are used primarily used for grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is Rocky Mountain maple, common chokecherry, and quaking aspen, mountain bromegrass, pinegrass, and sticky geranium.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Moonlight soils are of small extent in southeastern Idaho; MLRA 13, 43B.
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bannock County, Idaho, 1983.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon-- 5 to 104 cm (A1, A2, AB, and Bw1 horizons)
Cambic horizon--104 to 158 cm (Bw2 and Bw3 horizons)
Particle-size control section--30 to 105 (part of the AB, the Bw1, and part of the Bw2 horizons)
Moonlight soils have a cryic temperature regime and an udic moisture regime.
Taxonomic version: Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.