LOCATION OWSEL IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Owsel silt loam -- on a sideslope of 5 percent under rangeland vegetation at 5,150 feet elevation. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.) When described on August 5, 1982, the soil profile was dry throughout.
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
BA--3 to 9 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine to medium tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bt2--18 to 26 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bkq--26 to 52 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent durinodes; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 32 inches thick)
Bk--52 to 68 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent cobbles; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Twin Falls County, Idaho; about 10 miles west of Rogerson, Idaho; in the southwest 1/4, southwest 1/4, southwest 1/4 of section 2, T.14 S., R.14 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to calcium carbonates - 10 to 40 inches
Clay content in control section - averages 24 to 35 percent
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - more than 60 inches
A horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - SICL, SIL
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline
Clay content - 20 to 35 percent
Bkq horizon
Value - 6 to 8 dry
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, L
Durinodes - 20 to 50 percent
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate - 5 to 15 percent
Bk horizon
Value - 6 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and moist
Texture - FSL, VFSL, SL, SIL
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate - 10 to 25 percent
COMPETING SERIES: No competing series are in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Owsel soils are on calderas, terraces, and terrace sideslopes. The slopes range from 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in alluvium and loess from mixed sources. Elevations are 2,700 to 5,500 feet. The average annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 13 inches. The average annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Declo, Elijah, Kudlac, Lud, Paniogue, and Taunton soils. Declo, Paniogue, and Taunton soils occur on terraces, and lack an argillic horizon. Kudlac soils occur on dissected terraces and breaks below the Owsel soil, and they lack an argillic horizon. Elijah soils occur on lower terraces, and are moderately deep to a duripan. Lud soils occur on higher terraces, are clayey, and are shallow to a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Owsel soils are used for irrigated cropland, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. Major crops grown are alfalfa hay, barley, and wheat. The dominant natural vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, thickspike wheatgrass, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Owsel soils are of moderate extent in south central and southwestern Idaho.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elmore County Area, Idaho, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon and particle-size control section - zone from 9 to 26 inches (Bt horizons)
Duric feature - zone from 26 to 52 inches (Bkq horizon)