LOCATION TOMSHERRY ID+NV UT

Established Series
Rev. FRK/CLM/JBF
12/2019

TOMSHERRY SERIES

The Tomsherry series consists of very deep, moderately deep to a duripan, well-drained soils that are formed in alluvium derived from volcanic ash. They are on fan terraces and plateaus and have slopes of 0 to 15 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the average annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Vitrandic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Tomsherry ashy fine sandy loam - rangeland. On a 5 percent convex slope, NW aspect, 1,280 meters elevation. (Profile was dry above 135 cm and moist below. Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated. This profile was described on July 30, 1979.)

A--0 to 10 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.7) with phenol red, pH 7.0 with sodium fluoride; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

AB--10 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8) with phenol red, pH 7.2 with sodium fluoride; abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)

Bk1--28 to 58 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) ashy fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 36 cm thick)

Bk2--58 to 81 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; 25 percent hard (dry) and friable (moist) masses of soil material; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 25 cm thick)

Bkqm--81 to 91 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) fractured lime and silica cemented duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; strong very thick platy structure; very hard, very firm; many very fine roots between pan fragments; few fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 15 cm thick)

2Ckz--91 to 135 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few fine irregularly shaped salt veins; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (30 to 50 cm thick)

2C--135 to 152 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine irregular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Cassia County, Idaho; about 650 feet east, 2,500 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 26, T. 16 S., R. 21 E.; USGS Blue Hill 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 00 minutes 46 seconds north and longitude 113 degrees 58 minutes 07 seconds west;
WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.0127778 latitude, -113.9686111 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
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.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 47 degrees C.
Thickness of Mollic epipedon: 18 to 28 cm.
Depth to duripan: 50 to 100 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 5 to 15 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.

A horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Reaction with sodium fluoride: pH less than 9.5.
Volcanic glass content: More than 30 percent.
Acid oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe: less than 0.4 percent.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel.
Volcanic glass content: More than 30 percent.
Acid oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe: Less than 0.4 percent.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent.

2C horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4.
Texture: Fine sandy loam through loamy sand.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 15 percent gravel
Reaction: Moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tomsherry soils are on fan terraces and plateaus. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Elevation ranges from 1,495 to 2,015 meters. The soil formed in alluvium derived from volcanic ash. The average annual precipitation is about 300 to 400 mm, and the average annual air temperature is about 5 to 7 degrees C. The frost-free season is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hardister and Bluehill series. They do not have a duripan and are mesic. Bluehill soils also do not have a Mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow runoff; high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Tomsherry soils are used for range. The natural vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, needleandthread, Sandburg bluegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tomsherry soils are found in southern Idaho, northern Nevada and in northwestern Utah. They are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Boxelder County, Utah, Western Part, 1985.

REMARKS: Classification has been changed from Ashy, frigid Xeric Durandepts.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 28 cm (A and AB horizons).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 28 to 81 cm (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 81 to 91 cm (Bkqm horizon).
Vitrandic feature - More than 30 percent volcanic glass.
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 81 cm (Bk1, Bk2 and part of the AB horizons)

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.