LOCATION PAYNECREEK ID

Established Series
Rev. DBJ/ALH/CLM
10/2019

PAYNECREEK SERIES

The Paynecreek series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils with moderately slow permeability that formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. Paynecreek soils are on stream terraces with slopes of 0 to 16 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 360 mm, and the average annual temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Paynecreek gravelly sandy loam -- on a south-facing slope of 2 percent, in native rangeland at 1,630 meters elevation. (When described on July 18, 1979, the soil was dry to 20 cm and slightly moist below. Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

BA--10 to 20 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular and interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--20 to 36 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine, common medium tubular and interstitial pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bt2--36 to 74 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 38 cm thick)

C--74 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 5 miles north and 2 miles west of Riddle; 1,100 feet east and 900 feet north of the southwest corner of section 30, T. 13 S., R. 3 E.; USGS Nichol Flat 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 15 minutes 44 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 09 minutes 16 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.2622222 latitude, -116.1544444 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mollic epipedon thickness - 25 to 46 cm.
Depth to base of Bt horizon - 46 to 100 cm.
Soil Moisture: This soil is usually moist, but is dry for 45 to 70 consecutive days during the late summer and autumn. Typic xeric moisture regime.
Average annual soil temperature - 6.1 to 8.3 degrees C.
Average summer soil temperature - 17.2 to 19.4 degrees C.

Bt horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - SCL, GR-CL, GR-SCL, CL, or L
Clay content - 24 to 34 percent clay
Coarse fragments - 0 to 20 percent (mostly gravel)
Reaction (pH) - neutral or mildly alkaline

C horizon
Texture - SL, GR-SL, GRV-SL, or GRV-LCOS
Coarse fragments - 0 to 50 percent (mostly gravel)
Reaction (pH) - neutral or mildly alkaline
Other features - some pedons have a Cr horizon below 40 inches

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alexander, Ayoub, Cloudless, Cloud Rim, Isbell, Kanlee, Maple Mountain, and Ticino series. Alexander, Ayoub, and Kanlee soils have bedrock at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Cloudless and Cloud Rim soils have a solum thickness of 127 cm or more. Isbell soils have an O horizon, calcium carbonate in the lower part of the argillic, and occur in a 410 to 640 mm precipitation zone. Maple Mountain soils have average annual soil temperatures of 5.0 to 5.6 degrees C. Ticino soils have a paralithic contact between 50 to 100 cm.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paynecreek soils occur on nearly level to sloping stream terraces at elevations of 1,555 to 1,800 meters. Slopes range from 0 to 16 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. The climate is cool and moist in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. The average annual precipitation is 330 to 410 cm, and the average annual temperature is 5.0 to 7.2 degrees C. The frost-free period is 60 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barkley, Blackwell, Chayson, Northcastle, Soonahbe, and Thacker soils. Barkley soils have weakly silica cemented horizons. Blackwell soils have an aquic moisture regime. Chayson, Northcastle, and Thacker soils have a duripan between 50 and 100 cm. Soonahbe soils have a duripan at 100 to 150 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Paynecreek soils are used mainly for rangeland, wildlife habitat, and irrigated hayland and pasture. The dominant natural vegetation is basin big sagebrush, mountain big sagebrush, Idaho fescue, basin wildrye, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho and northern Nevada. Paynecreek soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County, Idaho; Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Idaho-Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognize in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 36 cm (A, BA and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone 20 to 74 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

Particle-size control section - The zone 20 to 70 cm (Bt1 and part of Bt2 horizons).

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.