LOCATION TELCHER            ID
Established Series
Rev. RJB/RJE/JAL
08/2002

TELCHER SERIES


The Telcher series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess and material weathered from basalt or other volcanic rocks. Telcher soils are on uplands and have slopes of 3 to 40 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive Mollic Haplocryalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Telcher silt loam, woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

0i--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed organic litter.

0e--2 to 3 inches; partially decomposed organic litter, abrupt broken boundary.

A--3 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine and fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent cobblestones, 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)

E1--9 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 5 percent cobblestones, 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

E2--15 to 23 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 5 percent cobblestones, 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)

Bt1--23 to 31 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; many uncoated silt grains on faces of peds; weak horizontal clay bands 0.5 to 1 centimeter thick; 5 percent cobblestones, 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)

Bt2--31 to 47 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) very gravelly silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; common distinct yellowish brown clay films on faces of peds and in pores; weak horizontal clay bands 0.5 to 1 centimeter thick; 5 percent cobblestones, 50 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2). (10 to 20 inches thick)

Bt3--47 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on peds and in pores; 5 percent cobblestones, 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Idaho County, Idaho; about 5.2 miles northwest of Keuterville; 22 feet east of the gravel road; 1,720 feet north and 2,640 feet west of the southeast corner of section 29, T.32N., R.1W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature ranges from 49 to 59 degrees F. Below the A horizon, the soil is slightly or moderately acid.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, moist value of 2 or 3, and moist chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam or loam. Uncoated silt grains are common on surfaces of peds in the lower A and upper B horizons.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, moist value of 3 through 5, and moist chroma of 3 through 6. It is clay loam, gravelly clay loam , or silty clay loam and contains from 5 to 35 percent gravel by volume. This horizon has a clay increase of about 1.4 times that of the eluvial horizons and has clay films on both vertical and horizontal faces of peds and in some pores.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Stringham series. Stringham soils have the top of the argillic horizon at a depth of less than 14 inches and the base of the argillic horizon above a depth of 60 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Telcher soils are on mountainous footslopes with slopes of 3 to 40 percent. Elevation ranges from 3,300 to 5,500 feet. The soil formed in loess and residuum from Seven Devils volcanics or Columbia River basalt. The climate is subhumid mesothermal. The mean annual precipitation is about 24 to 28 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 40 to 45 degrees F. The frost free season ranges from 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Suloaf, Uptmor and Brody soils. Suloaf and Uptmor soils have mollic epipedons. Uptmor soils also have fine textured argillic horizons. Brody soils have significant amounts of volcanic ash and lack argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland, hay pasture and recreation. The natural vegetation is mainly grand fir, Douglas fir, western larch, ninebark, snowberry, oceanspray, spirea and serviceberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Idaho. The soils are moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Idaho County, Idaho, 1976.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.