LOCATION TOWNSHIP                ID

Established Series
Rev: BLR-BDG-EMM
07/2013

TOWNSHIP SERIES

The Township series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in residuum and colluvium from schist and gneiss that are high in mica, with a thick mantle of volcanic ash. They are located on mountain slopes. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high and slopes range from 10 to 75 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 40 inches and the average annual temperature is about 42 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over micaceous, frigid Typic Udivitrands

TYPICAL PEDON: Township ashy silt loam, forested, on a northeast-facing slope of 62 percent at 3,320 feet elevation. When described on October 7, 1999 the soil was somewhat moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise indicated).

Oi--0 to 0.5 inches; slightly decomposed needles, twigs and leaves.

Oe--0.5 to 1.5 inches; well decomposed needles, twigs, and leaves; abrupt smooth boundary. (O horizons 1 to 4 inches thick)

A--1.5 to 3 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) ashy silt loam, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots throughout; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 1 percent fine mica flakes; 3 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 2 percent flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)

Bw1--3 to 11 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) ashy silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and coarse roots throughout; many very fine irregular, common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 2 percent fine mica flakes; 3 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--11 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) ashy silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium roots throughout; many very fine irregular, and common very fine and fine tubular pores; 2 percent fine mica flakes; 5 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (Bw horizons 6 to 15 inches thick)

2Bw3--17 to 35 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very flaggy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots located between peds; common very fine irregular and tubular pores; 25 percent fine mica flakes; 10 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 30 percent flagstones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary.

2Bw4--35 to 43 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots located between peds, few medium roots located throughout; common very fine irregular and few very fine tubular pores; 40 percent fine mica flakes; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 15 percent flagstones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (2Bw horizons 9 to 50 inches)

2BC--43 to 53 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely flaggy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots located between peds, common medium and coarse roots throughout; common very fine irregular and few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent fine mica flakes; 15 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 25 percent flagstones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)

2C--53 to 66 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely flaggy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine irregular pores; 65 percent fine mica flakes; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 35 percent flagstones; slightly acid (pH 6.1).

TYPE LOCATION: Clearwater County, Idaho; about 7 miles southwest of Elk River, Idaho; about 750 feet east and 250 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 30, T.39N., R.2E.; Latitude - 46 degrees, 41 minutes, 19 seconds North; Longitude - 116 degrees, 15 minutes, 52 seconds West; USGS Aldermand Ridge Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 46 degrees F. (Frigid soil temperature regime)
Soil moisture regime - usually moist year round and not dry for 30 consecutive days during June to October. (Udic soil moisture regime)

Thickness of volcanic ash mantle - 14 to 23 inches.
Volcanic glass - 15 to 50 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al+1/2 Fe - 1.3 to 2.7 percent
Phosphorous retention - 55 to 95 percent
15 bar water retention - 8.0 to 12.0 percent on air-dried samples

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry, 1 to 4 moist
Textures - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 8 to 10 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 2 percent stones, 0 to 10 percent total rock fragments
Reaction - 5.4 to 6.8
Bulk density - 0.50 to 0.90 g/cc

Bw horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry
Value - 4 to 6 dry, 2.5 to 4 moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Textures - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 8 to 10 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 15 percent total rock fragments
Reaction - 5.1 to 6.6
Bulk density - 0.65 to 1.00 g/cc

2Bw horizons
Hue - 7.5YR to 2.5Y dry, 10YR to 5YR moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 6 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Textures - loam, silt loam or sandy loam
Clay content - 10 to 22 percent
Mica content - 10 to 60 percent
Rock fragments - 5 to 65 percent gravel, 0 to 35 percent cobbles, 0 to 30 percent stones and/or flagstones, total rock fragment content - 5 to 70 percent
Reaction - 5.1 to 6.5

2BC horizons: (absent in some pedons)
Hue - 7.5YR to 2.5Y dry, 2.5Y to 5YR moist
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry or moist
Textures - loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam or loamy sand
Clay content - 6 to 18 percent
Mica content - 30 to 75 percent
Rock fragments - 15 to 60 percent gravel, 5 to 45 percent cobbles, 0 to 30 percent stones and/or flagstones, total rock fragment content 45 to 80 percent
Reaction - 5.2 to 6.5

2C horizons: (absent in some pedons)
Hue - 2.5Y or 10YR dry, 2.5YR to 7.5YR moist
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 to 6 dry or moist
Textures - loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loamy sand
Clay content - 2 to 20 percent
Mica content - 30 to 65 percent
Rock fragments - 20 to 70 percent gravel, 0 to 30 percent cobbles, 0 to 35 percent stones and/or flagstones; 50 to 85 percent total rock fragments
Reaction - 5.0 to 6.5

Note: Control section weighted average for rock fragments is greater than 35 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Township soils are on mountain slopes at elevations 1,600 to 5,050 feet (488 to 1539 meters) with slopes ranging from 10 to 75 percent. These soils are formed in residuum and colluvium from schist and gneiss that are high in mica with a thick mantle of volcanic ash. The average annual temperature is 38 to 46 degrees F. and the average annual precipitation is 30 to 55 (762 to 1397 mm) inches. The frost-free season is 50 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Grandad, Poorman, and the Rettig series. Grandad soils are on mountain slopes and are ashy over loamy with high mica argillic horizons. Poorman soils are on mountain slopes and have thin ash mantles. Rettig soils are on mountain slopes and are ashy over loamy with cambic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; rapid and very rapid runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, recreation, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Potential natural vegetation is western redcedar, grand fir, Douglas-fir, western white pine, western larch, and Rocky mountain maple with an understory of queencup beadlily, goldthread, bunchberry dogwood, oneleaf foamflower, northern twinflower, darkwoods violet, common prince's pine, common beargrass, myrtle pachystima, rustyleaf menziesia, western thimbleberry, and common snowberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Idaho. Township soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 43A. This soil is named after a nearby mountain.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clearwater County, Idaho, 2003.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:

Volcanic ash mantle - The zone from 1.5 to 16.5 inches. (A, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 3 inches. (Oi, Oe and A horizon)

Cambic horizon - The zone from 3 to 43 inches. (Bw1, Bw2, 2Bw3, and 2Bw4 horizons)

Particle-size control section - The zone from 3 to 43 inches. (A, Bw1, Bw2, 2Bw3, and 2Bw4 horizon)

The ranges of values listed under the Range in Characteristics for Bulk Density, Volcanic glass content, Acid-oxalate Al+1/2 Fe, Phosphate retention and 15-bar water retention are estimates only.

Additional data: This series has laboratory data S95-ID-035-009 (96P26) Clearwater county, Idaho; by NSSL, Lincoln, NE.

The mineralogy class was changed from paramicaceous to micaceous in 07/2010 by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the responsible MLRA regional office. The change was necessary based on the eleventh edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.