LOCATION WAGONBOX                ID+NV

Established Series
Rev. PJS/ALH/JVC
12/2022

WAGONBOX SERIES

The Wagonbox series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium and residuum derived from basalt, vitric tuff, and volcanic breccia. Wagonbox soils are on plateaus and structural benches. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 360 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6.1 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid, shallow Typic Durixeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Wagonbox stony loam--on a slope of 2 percent, in native rangeland at 1,780 meters elevation. The surface has about 40 percent cover of stones and cobbles. (When described on August 26, 1980, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) stony loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, few medium roots; common very fine and fine vesicular pores; 10 percent cobbles and 15 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt1--8 to 20 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very stony clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent stones and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary.

Bt2--20 to 36 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very stony clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine tubular and common very fine interstitial pores; continuous prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 20 percent stones and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (combined Bt thickness is 18 to 36 cm)

Bqm--36 to 51 cm; very pale brown (10YR 8/4) indurated duripan; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, brittle; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 20 cm thick)

R--51 cm; fractured basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 27 miles west and 6 miles north of Grasmere; 500 feet north and 380 feet west of the southeast corner of section 13, T. 11 S., R. 1 W.; USGS Frying Pan Basin 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 27 minutes 42.8 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 23 minutes 42.3 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.4618889 latitude, -116.3950833 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture- Usually dry, moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; xeric moisture regime bordering on aridic.
Soil temperature - 6.1 to 8.3 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature - 17.2 to 19.4 degrees C.
Depth to thin duripans - 28 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock - 30 to 58 cm.

Control section - Clay content: 35 to 55 percent; 35 to 60 percent rock fragments, lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt, tuff, and volcanic breccia.


A horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.

Bt horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 4 or 6, dry or moist.
Texture: Very stony clay loam, very stony clay, very cobbly clay loam, or very cobbly clay.
Reaction: Slightly acid to slightly alkaline.


Bqm horizon
Structure: Commonly massive, occasionally platy.
Effervescence: Commonly noneffervescent, less commonly slightly effervescent.

COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wagonbox soils are on nearly level to gently sloping tableland landforms such as plateaus, mesas, and structural benches. They formed in alluvium and residuum derived from basalt, vitric tuff, and volcanic breccia. Slopes are 1 to 8 percent. Elevations range from 1,555 to 2,015 meters. The climate is cool and moist in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. The mean annual precipitation is 300 to 410 mm, the mean annual temperature is 5.0 to 7.2 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 70 to 90 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Avtable, Deunah, Hatpeak, Hawksy, and Wickahoney soils. Avtable soils are loamy-skeletal and shallow to a lithic contact. Deunah soils are very fine, moderately deep to duripans, and have an abrupt textural change at the top of the argillic horizon. Hatpeak soils are fine, moderately deep to duripans, and have Mollic epipedons and argillic horizons. Hawksy soils are clayey, shallow to lithic contacts, and have argillic horizons. Wickahoney soils are clayey-skeletal, shallow to lithic contacts, and have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Wagonbox soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is alkali sagebrush, low sagebrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho and northern Nevada. This series is moderately extensive. MLRA 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County, Idaho; Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Idaho-Nevada, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 8 cm (A horizon).

Argillic horizon - The zone from 8 to 36 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

Indurated duripan - The zone from 36 to 50 cm (Bqm horizon).

Lithic contact - The boundary at 50 cm to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).

Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 36 cm (A, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.