LOCATION NEWELL ID

Established Series
Rev. LMR/CLM
01/2023

NEWELL SERIES

The Newell series is very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium on fans and terraces. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Permeability is moderately slow. The average annual precipitation is about 14 inches, and the average annual air temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Pachic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Newell silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak thin platy structure that parts to moderate fine and very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)

A--7 to 12 inches; similar to Ap horizon except grayish brown (10YR 5/2) when crushed; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bt1--12 to 19 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) (grayish brown, 10YR 5/2, when crushed) light silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) (very dark grayish brown, 10YR 3/2, when crushed) moist; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; patchy, thin, slightly darker clay films on peds; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)

Bt2--19 to 30 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) (grayish brown, 10YR 5/2, when crushed) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure that parts to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; patchy, thin, slightly darker clay films on peds; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

Bt3--30 to 39 inches; similar to Bt2 horizon but slightly higher in value and chroma, clay loam, and gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

Bk1--39 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) heavy loam; dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent with few calcium carbonate veins and spots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)

Bk2--60 to 75 inches; similar to Bk1 horizon except moderately effervescent and many fine calcium carbonate veins and spots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)

C--75 to 80 inches; similar to Bk2 except few medium distinct yellowish brown mottles, slightly effervescent and no lime veins.

TYPE LOCATION: Gem County, Idaho; 0.3 miles south of Sweet School; 1,000 feet east and 120 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 3, T.7N., R.1E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F.
Soil moisture - unless irrigated, soils are dry for 60 or more (consecutive) days in summer or more than half the time the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F.
Argillic horizon - average 27 to 35 percent clay, less than 20 percent coarse fragments
Solum thickness - 28 to 50 inches
Mollic epipedon thickness - 20 to 50 inches
Calcium carbonate - moderate accumulation below 30 to 43 inches

A horizons
Value - 2 through 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 or 2 dry or moist
Organic Carbon Ap horizon - 1.5 to 2.3 percent
Structure - granular, subangular blocky or platy
Reaction - neutral to moderately acid

Bt horizons
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 2 through 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 1 through 3 dry or moist
Texture - CL, SICL
Structure - weak or moderate, fine to coarse, prismatic, angular or subangular blocky
Clay films - thin or moderately thick
Reaction - mildly alkaline to slightly acid

Bk and C horizons
Reaction - neutral to moderately alkaline
Some pedons - 5 to 70 percent pebbles, cobbles or stones below 40 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crookston, Peola, Roystone and Slickpoo series. Crookston soils are 20 to 28 inches to the secondary carbonates and have medium textured argillic horizons. Peola soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Roystone soils are 18 to 30 inches deep to carbonates and have Btk horizons. Slickpoo soils are cobbly in the lower part of the argillic horizon and have a lithologic discontinuity in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Newell soils are in level to moderately steep alluvial and colluvial fans and terraces at elevations of 2,000 to 4,000 feet. The slopes are mostly less than 10 percent and ranges from 0 to 30 percent. The soils formed in alluvium and colluvium derived chiefly from basaltic and other basic rock sources but containing some mixture of granite, rhyolite, and related material. The climate is semiarid and has relatively dry summers, a freeze-free period of 110 to 130 days, and a mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches, including 3 to 6 feet of snowfall. The average annual air temperature is 45 to 51 degrees.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gem, Gemson, Gross, Roystone, and Yergenson soils. Gem soils have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon and have bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches. Gemson and Gross soils are not pachic, Yergenson soils are loamy skeletal.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly irrigated and cropped to small grains, corn, alfalfa, and pasture. Some dry farmed for wheat, alfalfa, and pasture. Some is used for range. The natural vegetation is chiefly bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Idaho fescue, cheatgrass, big sagebrush, bitterbrush, and Medusahead wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Basaltic areas of southwestern Idaho and perhaps adjoining regions. This series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gem and Boise Counties, Idaho, 1938.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 30 inches (AP, A, BA, Bt1 horizons)

Argillic horizon - zone from 12 to 39 inches (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons)

Calcic horizon - zone from 39 to 60 or more inches (Bk1, Bk2 horizons)

Particle-size control section - 12 to 32 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and part of the Bt3 horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data for 1 profile sample number S57Ida-23-32.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.