LOCATION NORTH BEACH IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal over loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Aquic Xerorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: North Beach extremely cobbly loamy very coarse sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine interstitial pores; carbonates disseminated; strongly effervescent; 40 percent gravel and 40 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick.)
C--3 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; carbonates disseminated; violently effervescent; 25 percent gravel and 60 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
2Cg1--22 to 41 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; common coarse faint light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) redox depletions; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; carbonates disseminated; strongly effervescent; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 35 inches thick)
2Cg2--41 to 50 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loamy very fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; common coarse faint gray (2.5Y 6/1) redox depletions; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; carbonates disseminated; strongly effervescent; 5 percent gravel; few very fine shell fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
2Cg3--50 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) stratified loamy sand and loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine interstitial pores; carbonates disseminated; slightly effervescent; 5 percent gravel; few very fine shell fragments; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4). (0 to 15 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; about 11 miles south of Dingle, Idaho; about 500 feet south and 1,300 feet west of the northeast corner of section 1, T. 16 N., R. 44 E.; USGS Bear Lake North 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees, 03 minutes, 58 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees, 15 minutes, 09 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to 2Cg1 horizon and redox depletions- 20 to 30 inches
Depth to seasonal high water table - 20 to 30 inches December through June
Average annual soil temperature - 41 to 44 degrees F.
Particle-size control section:
Clay content - upper part: 1 to 5 percent, lower part: 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragment content - upper part: 40 to 90 percent gravel, cobbles and/or stones, lower part: 0 to 10 percent gravel
A horizon
Hue - 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
Texture - extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand
Clay content - 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments - 65 to 90 percent; 25 to 40 percent gravel, 40 to 50 percent cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent 15 to 30 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.8)
C horizon
Hue - 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value - 4 to 6 dry and moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture - very gravelly sand, very gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, very gravelly very coarse sand, very gravelly loamy very coarse sand, or their extremely gravelly, very/extremely cobbly, or less commonly very/extremely stony analogues
Clay content - 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments - 40 to 90 percent gravel, cobbles and/or stones
Calcium carbonate equivalent 15 to 35 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.8)
2Cg1 horizon
Hue - 10YR to 5Y
Value - 4 to 7 dry and moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry and moist
Texture - very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand
Clay content - 1 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent 15 to 30 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.8)
2Cg2 and 2Cg3 horizons
Hue - 10YR to 5Y
Value - 4 to 7 dry and moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry and moist
Texture - sandy loam, loamy sand, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand. Stratified layers are common below 40 inches
and may include strata of medium and coarse sands.
Clay content - 1 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate equivalent 5 to 25 percent
Reaction - slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (pH 7.4 to 8.8)
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: lake beaches and lake terraces
Elevation: 5,900 to 6,000 feet
Slope: 1 to 15 percent
Parent material: wave-worked beach deposits derived mainly from sandstone, limestone, and quartzite
Climate: long, cold winters; moist springs; warm, dry summers
Average annual precipitation: 12 to 16 inches
Average annual temperature: 41 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free season: 70 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: There are no geographically associated series. North Beach soils are associated with sandy beaches and shorelines of intermountain lakes with seasonal fluctuating water levels.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; negligible to low surface runoff; very rapid over moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for pasture. Native vegetation is reeds, sedges, willow, mountain big sage, twisted leaf, tall rabbitbrush, needle-and-thread, saltgrass, hairgrass, and greasewood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Beach soils are of small extent in southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah along the east beach of Bear Lake.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008. The name comes from North Beach State Park along the Bear Lake.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (A and part of the C horizon).
Aquic subgroup - redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less and aquic conditions within 40 inches of the soil surface.