LOCATION PANDOAH IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcidic Haploxerolls
TYPIFYING PEDON: Pandoah very cobbly loam, range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A11--0 to 3 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) very cobbly light loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; strong fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) sandstone pebbles, cobbles, and stones; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A12--3 to 10 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) very channery light loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; about 40 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) noncalcareous angular sandstone pebbles and cobbles, channery fragments, and flagstones; moderately calcareous; rock fragments slightly coated with lime on the lower side; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A13--10 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) very channery light loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure that parts to weak fine and medium granules; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; about 35 percent rock fragments as in A12 horizon; moderately calcareous, few fine veins and spots of lime; rock fragments slightly coated with lime on the lower side; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
C1ca--16 to 22 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) (light reddish brown, 5YR 6/3, crushed) very channery light loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) (reddish brown, 5YR 4/3, crushed) moist; very weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; about 45 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) slightly calcareous sandstone rock fragments, moderately coated with lime on the lower side; moderately calcareous and few fine lime veins and spots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
C2--22 to 26 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) (light reddish brown, 5YR 6/3, crushed) extremely channery light loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) (reddish brown, 5YR 4/3, crushed) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; many very fine tubular pores; about 80 percent weak red (10YR 4/3) sandstone rock fragments including channery fragments, angular gravel, angular cobbles, flagstones, and stones; moderately calcareous; lime coating on lower side of rock fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt broken boundary. (2 to 20 inches thick)
R--26 to 40 inches; weak red (10R 4/3) sandstone bedrock, dusky red (10R 3/3) moist; noncalcareous except slight lime coating in fractures in the upper part.
TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; Cold Creek Valley, 35 percent southerly slope at 5,400 feet elevation; NE1/4 sec. 21, T.3S., R.37E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 42 degrees to 47 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 59 degrees to 66 degrees F. The soils are usually dry and are continuously dry in all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches for 50 to 70 days during late summer and fall. Sandstone or related bedrock is at depths of 20 to 40 inches. the control section between a depth of 10 inches and the bedrock averages less than 18 percent clay and more than 35 percent rock fragments mainly sandstone. The rock fragments are angular pebbles, channery fragments, angular cobbles, flagstones or stones. The mollic epipedon and the solum range from 7 to 16 inches thick. The A1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has moderate or strong granular structure. This horizon is moderately or slightly calcareous but is noncalcareous in the upper few inches in some pedons. The C horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 5. It ranges to loamy sand in the lower part. This horizon is moderately or slightly calcareous and mildly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Hondoho, Nielsen, Rito, and Wahtigup series. Hondoho soils have a xeric moisture regime. Nielsen soils have argillic horizons and have sandstone bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches. Rito soils have cambic horizons and are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Wahtigup soils have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, less than 35 percent rock fragments and no bedrock above a depth of 40 inches.
SETTING: Pandoah soils are on hilly to very steep uplands at elevations if 4,800 to 6,500 feet. Slopes range from 10 to 70 percent but those between 20 and 45 percent are dominant. The soils formed mostly in residuum weathered from reddish noncalcareous or slightly calcareous sandstone, but colluvium and/or loess has influenced the upper part. The climate is semiarid with dry summers. Mean annual precipitation is 11 to 15 inches including 2.5 to 5 feet of snowfall. Average freeze-free period is 80 to 110 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hondoho and Wahtigup soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for range. The natural vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, cheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, big sagebrush, Stipa, and in places Idaho fescue, threetip sagebrush, bitterbrush, balsamroot, buckwheat, juniper, dwarf sagebrush, and phlox.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern idaho. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bingham County, Idaho, 1973.
REMARKS: Classified formerly as Brown soils.