LOCATION RICHVALE IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Richvale silt loam on a cultivated fan remnant with 1 percent slope at an elevation of 1844 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 18 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) moist; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; very few sand coats; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt smooth boundary.
A--18 to 36 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and common medium tubular, and many very fine irregular pores; common worm casts; few faint clay films in pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 36 to 42 cm)
Bt1--36 to 61 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few medium tubular and many very fine irregular pores; few faint clay films on all faces of peds and in pores; very few sand coats; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.1); clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--61 to 71 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few medium tubular pores; many faint clay films in pores; very few sand coats; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 8 to 64 cm)
Bk1--71 to 97 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) most; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few moderately cemented calcium carbonate nodules in the matrix; common calcium carbonate masses and threads; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (25 to 50 cm thick)
Bk2--97 to 152 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many fine calcium carbonate threads; 30 percent gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Teton County, Idaho; about 7.5 kilometers southwest of Driggs; 525 meters south and 18 meters east of the northwest corner of section 6, T. 4 N., R. 45 E.; Bates USGS topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees, 42 minutes, 15.0 seconds N. and long. 111 degrees, 12 minutes, 2.3 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness: 50 to 85 cm
Particle size control section (weighted average): rock fragments 5 to 20 percent and clay content 12 to 18 percent
Depth to calcic horizon: 50 to 100 cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 35 percent in the calcic horizon
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 15 to 18.9 degrees C. (frigid soil temperature regime)
Ap or A horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR dry
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry and moist
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Clay content:12 to 17 percent
Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR dry
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture: SIL, L, or SL with 0 to 30 percent gravel
Clay content; 14 to 18 percent
Bk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR dry
Value: 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 moist
Texture: SIL, L, or SL with 0 to 45 percent gravel
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Effervescence: strong or violent
Clay content: 12 to 17 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are Stipe, Jipper, and Feltonia series. Stipe soils have lithic contact at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Jipper soils have lithic contact at a depth of 100 cm or greater. Feltonia soils have sandy-skeletal material at a depth of 102 to 152 cm.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: alluvial plains
Landform: fan remnants
Elevation: 1828 to 1902 meters
Slope: 0 to 4 percent
Parent material: mixed alluvium primarily from sandstone and limestone with
loess influence.
Mean annual air temperature: 3.3 to 6.7 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation: 305 to 457 mm
Frost free period: 40 to 70 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alpine and Arimo soil series. Both soils are in lower linear positions on fan remnants than Richvale soils. Alpine soils are in the lowest relative position and have a loamy-skeletal particle size class. Arimo soils have a coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal particle size class.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Runoff: low
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: irrigated areas produce seed potatoes, pasture, and hay crops; nonirrigated areas are used for dryland wheat and barley
Dominant native vegetation: bluebunch wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, bluegrass, Idaho fescue, mountain big sagebrush, three-tip sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, phlox, and yarrow
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Southeastern Idaho, MLRA 13
Extent: the series is not extensive
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Teton County, Idaho, 1975; Teton Area, Idaho-Wyoming Soil Survey.
REMARKS: This revision in 2008 changes the classification of this series. It was formerly classified as fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Calcic Pachic Haplocryolls.
Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: from 0 to 71 cm (organic carbon content is less than 0.6 percent below 71 cm)
Calcic horizon: from a depth of 71 to 152 cm
Particle size control section: from a depth of 25 to 100 cm with weighted average rock fragment content of 8 percent
Soil temperature regime: frigid
Soil moisture regime: xeric