LOCATION MALONEY                 ID

Established Series
Rev. LEW/RJE/EMM
11/2010

MALONEY SERIES

The Maloney series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils on plateaus. They formed in loess and material weathered from basalt. Permeability is moderate. Slopes are 5 to 20 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 26 inches, and the average annual air temperature is about 42 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Humic Haploxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Maloney fine gravelly silt loam - on a 4 percent south-facing convex slope in grassland at 4,645 feet elevation. When described on August 16, 1991, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine gravelly silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine and few medium roots; common fine and very fine tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, mostly fine; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)

Bw1--5 to 12 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) fine gravelly silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to strong coarse granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; common fine and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel, mostly fine; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--12 to 18 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) fine gravelly silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to strong coarse granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; common fine and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel, mostly fine; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual smooth boundary.

Bw3--18 to 25 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) fine gravelly silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel, mostly fine, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 7 to 38 inches)

2R--25 inches; basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Nez Perce County, Idaho; about 3 miles southeast of Soldiers Meadow Reservoir; about 2,600 feet south and 2,170 feet west of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 32 N., R. 3 W.; USGS Winchester West quadrangle; Latitiude - 46 degrees, 07 minutes, 38 seconds N.; Longitude - 116 degrees, 42 minutes, 36 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Volcanic glass content - 0 to 5 percent
Depth to bedrock - 22 to 36 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 44 to 46 degrees F

Particle-size control section (weighted averages)
Coarse fragment content - 10 to 35 percent
Clay content - 18 to 24 percent

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist

Bw horizons
Hue - 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 4 through 6 dry
Texture - GRF-SIL, GRF-L, SIL
Clay content 18 to 24 percent
Gravel content - 10 to 25 percent, dominantly fine gravel
Cobble content - 0 to 10 percent
Base saturation - 60 to 75 percent
Reaction - slightly acid or moderately acid

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. The Blinn series in a closely related family is loamy-skeletal.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Maloney soils are on mounds of patterned ground on basalt plateaus at elevations of 4,400 to 5,350 feet. Slopes range from 5 to 20 percent. These soils formed in loess and material weathered from basalt. The average annual precipitation is 25 to 28 inches. The average annual air temperature is 41 to 43 degrees F and the frost-free season is 60 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cramont, Larabee, and Zaza soils. Cramont soils are on summits and are deep. Larabee soils are on steep south- and west-facing slopes and are loamy-skeletal. Zaza soils are between the mounds of patterned ground and are shallow and loamy-skeletal.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium to rapid runoff. Moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for woodland grazing. The natural vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, sticky geranium, arrowleaf balsamroot, and threeflower avens.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Idaho. These soils are of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nez Perce County, Idaho, 1995.

REMARKS:

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 25 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 25 inches (2R horizon)

Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 25 inches (part of the Bw1, the Bw2, and the Bw3 horizons)

The 11/2010 revision reflects a reclassification from Typic Haploxerepts to Humic Haploxerepts subgroup based on revisions to the 11th Edition Keys to Soil Taxonomy. No other changes were made during this revision.

ADDITIONAL DATA: This soil was sampled for analysis at the NSSL. Laboratory sample number 91P 1098; soil survey sample number S91ID-069-033.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.