LOCATION TECHICK IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calciargidic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Techick loam--on a 1 percent slope at 5,325 feet in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on August 25, 1988, the soil was dry throughout.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular and irregular pores; common prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Btk--12 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; common soft accumulations of calcium carbonates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bk--25 to 46 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, dark yellowish (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium prismatic; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; prominent lime coatings on faces of peds and in root channels; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 30 inches thick).
2Bq--46 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very gravelly sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; silica coatings and pendants 1 to 2 mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; 55 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, Idaho; about 1 1/2 miles southeast of Arco, Idaho, about 1,800 feet south and 2,000 feet east of section 11, T. 3 N., R 26 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 46 degrees F
Mollic epipedon thickness - 8 to 15 inches
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 25 inches
Depth to calcic horizon - 8 to 15 inches
Depth to sand and gravel (2Bq) - 40 to 50 inches
Control section -
Percent clay: 25 to 35
Reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
A horizon
chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
reaction - neutral to slightly alkaline
Bt horizon
chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
texture - L, CL, SICL
reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
Btk horizon
value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
texture - L, CL, SICL
reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
Bk horizon
value - 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
texture - L, GR-L, SL
coarse fragments - 5 to 20 percent
reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline
2Bq horizon
value - 4 through 7 dry, 2 through 4 moist
chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
texture - GRV-S, GRX-LS, GRX-S
coarse fragments - 50 to 75 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dishpan, Eldgin(T), Fenelon, Shenon(T), Singletree and Techicknot soils. Dishpan soils are moderately deep to basalt bedrock. Eldgin soils have hues redder than 10YR in the Bt horizon. Fenelon soils are moderately deep to soft siltstone. Singletree soils have a mollic epipedon 15 to 20 inches thick and are 30 to 43 inches to the base of the argillic. Shenon soils have 5 to 30 percent coarse fragments in the argillic horizon. Techicknot soils have secondary carbonates at 20 to 33 inches and lack the sand and gravel discontinuity.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Techick soils are on terraces and have slopes of 0 to 12 percent. The soils formed in lacustrine sediments over flood deposited sand and gravel. Elevations are 5,000 to 6,000 feet. The climate is cold and moist in winter and spring and dry in summer. Average annual precipitation is 11 to 13 inches. Average annual temperature is 37 to 44 degrees F. Frost-free period is 75 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Atomic, Lesbut, Soelberg and Splittop soils. Atomic and Splittop soils are on basalt plains and lack mollic epipedons. Lesbut and Soelberg soils are on terraces. Lesbut soils have sandy-skeletal particle-size control sections. Soelberg soils are moderately deep to stratified sand and gravel.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Livestock grazing and irrigated cropland. Native vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Idaho. These soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butte County Area, Idaho, 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 0 to 12 inches (A1 and Bt horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 25 inches (Bt and Btk horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 12 to 46 inches (Btk and Bk horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 4 to 24 inches (Bt and part of Btk horizons).