LOCATION RIDGECREST ID+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Typic Calcixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ridgecrest gravelly loam on a mountain slope with 22 percent slope in rangeland at 1,890 meters elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very thin platy structure parting to weak very fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine interstitial pores; few calcium carbonate coats on bottom of rock fragments; 35 percent dark gray (N 4/) fine angular gravel; strongly effervescent; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
A2--5 to 18 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent fine angular gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of 10 to 45 cm)
Bk1--18 to 28 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) crushed, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 0.1 to 1 mm calcium carbonate coats on the bottoms of course gravel; 50 percent angular gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm thick)
Bk2--28 to 51 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine to medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 0.1 to 1 mm calcium carbonate coats on the bottoms of course gravel; 70 percent dark gray (N 4/) angular gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bk3--51 to 76 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 0.1 to 1 mm calcium carbonate coats and dark yellowish brown silica on the bottoms of course gravel; 60 percent dark gray (N 4/) angular gravel and cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk2 and Bk3 horizons is 21 to 50 cm)
R1--76 to 86 cm; dark gray (N4/) fractured and slightly weathered limestone bedrock; calcium carbonate coats and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silica on rock fragments. (0 to 25 cm thick)
R2--86 to 152 cm; dark gray (N4/) limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; about 29 km southeast of Blackfoot; 400 meters north and 428 meters west of the southeast corner of section 33, T. 3 S., R. 38 E.; Lincoln Peak USGS topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees, 6 minutes, and 42.1 seconds N. and long. 112 degrees, 0 minutes, 28.8 seconds W., NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness and depth to the calcic horizon: 18 to 50 cm
Particle size control section: calcium carbonate equivalent weighted average greater than 40 percent and total clay is 8 to 18 percent
Depth to lithic contact: 50 to 100 cm
Soil moisture regime: xeric
Mean annual soil temperature: 5.6 to 8.0 degrees C. (frigid soil temperature regime)
Mean summer soil temperature: 15.0 to 19.4 degrees C.
A horizons
Hue: 5YR to 10YR moist, 7.5YR or 10YR dry
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3 moist, 2 or 3 dry
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 10 to 40 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Effervescence: slight to violent
Bk horizons
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y moist or dry
Value: 3 to 6 moist, 5 to 8 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 50 percent in the upper part and 40 to 70 percent in the lower part
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Effervescence: slight to violent
Texture: STX-L, STX-SIL, GRV-L, CBV-SIL, CBV-L, CBV-SL, CBX-SL, CBX-L
Total rock fragments: 50 to 90 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Alpine (T) series. Alpine soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: mountains
Landform: hills and mountain slopes
Elevation: 1,372 to 2,299 meters
Slope: 10 to 70 percent
Parent material: slope alluvium and colluvium from limestone
Mean annual air temperature: 5.0 to 9.0 degrees C.
Mean annual precipitation: 305 to 610 mm
Frost free period: 50 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hymas, Ricrest, and Wahtigup soils. Hymas soils have limestone bedrock at 25 to 50 cm and occur on ridgetops. Ricrest soils are fine-loamy, are very deep, and occur on concave positions on north-facing slopes. Wahtigup soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments, are very deep, and are in concave positions on south-facing slopes.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Runoff: very high
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: rangeland
Dominant native vegetation: curlleaf mountain mahogany, mountain big sagebrush, arrowleaf balsamroot, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Southeastern Idaho and Western Wyoming, MLRA 13
Extent: the series is moderately extensive
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Elder County, Utah, 1941.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and soil characteristics recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: from a depth of 0 to 18 cm
Calcic horizon: from a depth of 18 to 76 cm
Particle size control section: from a depth of 25 to 100 cm
Soil temperature regime: frigid
Soil moisture regime: xeric
This OSD (2010) includes a reclassification of the series from Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Calcic Haploxerolls to Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Typic Calcixerolls as per action identified in the remarks of the 2006 description.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Typical pedon was not sampled.
Additional reference sample is PEDON ID S09ID-081-001.