LOCATION WAPELLO            ID
Established Series
Rev. RAS/TWP
10/2002

WAPELLO SERIES


Typically, Wapello soils have grayish brown fine sandy loam Ap horizons and light brownish gray and light gray, calcareous, fine sandy loam C horizons over strongly calcareous silt loam IIC horizons at a depth of 29 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcidic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wapello fine sandy loam, cultuvated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium, fine and very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial and common very fine and fine tubular pores; few worm channels and casts; moderately calcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

C1--8 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse tubular pores;few worm casts; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

C2--15 to 22 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse tubular pores; few worm casts; strongly calcareous, few fine spots and 1/2 inch splotches of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

C3--22 to 29 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) light fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderate;y alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

IIC4--29 to 33 inches; light gray (2.5Y 6/1) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous, few fine spots of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)

IIC5--33 to 55 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous, few fine spots and veins of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)

IIIC6--55 to 70 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; few fine faint very pale brown (10YR 7/4) mottles; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9). (0 to several feet thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; about 1 mile south and 3 miles east of Wapello on a level terrace; 800 feet south and 800 feet east of the NW corner of section 24, T.2S., R.36E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 41 to 47 degrees F. and the mean summer temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 60 to 66 degrees F. The soils are usually dry and are dry between depths of 8 and 24 inches for about 70 t0 90 consecutive days in the summer. The 10 to 40 inch control section averages 8 to 18 percent clay, more than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand, and less than 10 percent rock fragments. The upper 10 to 25 inch portion of the control section is dominantly moderately coarse textured (mostly fine sandy loam) and overlies silt loam stratified with loam and/or below 40 inches with sandy loam. The mollic epipedon ranges from 5 to 12 inches thick. Depth to strongly calcareous material ranges from 5 to 20 inches. The profile has 10YR or 2.5Y hue. The Ap or A1 horizon, when mixed to 7 inches, has value of 4.8 to 5.5 dry, 2.8 to 3.5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It ranges in organic matter content from 1.2 to 2.5 percent, in pH from 7 to 8.1, and in noncalcareous to moderately calcareous. The C horizon has value of 5.5 to 7 dry, 3.5 to 5 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is massive or has weak subangular blocky structure. This horizon contains 15 to 45 percent calcium carbonate.

COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Ammon, Blue Star, Bock, Courtrock, Fanu, Newdale, Stan, and Wahtigup series. Ammon and Newdale soils have less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. Blue Star and Courtrock soils have a mean annual temperature warmer than 47 degrees F. Bock soils have a medium textured control section and a cambic horizon. Fanu and Wahtigup soils have more than 18 percent clay in the control section. Stan soils have a calcic horizon and lack the silt loam in the lower part of the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The soils are on level to gently sloping terraces at elevations of 4,200 to 4,600 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. The soils formed in moderately coarse textured over medium textured sediments, dominantly from quartzite and sedimentary rock sources but also containing rhyollitic, basaltic or granitic materials. In Places, the upper part may be eolian sediments. The climate is semiarid with dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10.5 to 13 inches, including 2 to 5 feet of snowfall. The average frost free season is 100 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Wolverine, Presto, and Firth soils. Wolverine soils have a sand or coarse sand control section. Presto soils are deep loamy sand. Firth soils have evidences of wetness between depths of 20 and 40 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the upper part and moderate in the underlying unconforming sediments.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated under irrigation for hay, pasture, potatoes, and small grains. The principal native plants are streambank wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, basin wildrye, needleand thread grass, lupine, big sagebrush, smal rabbitbrush, and bitterbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The series is inextensive in the upper Snake River Valley and tributary valleys of southeastern Idaho.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bingham County, Idaho, 1972.

REMARKS: The soils classified formerly as Calcisols.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U. S. A.