LOCATION WAREAGLE ID
Established Series
Rev. ALH/CLM
12/2019
WAREAGLE SERIES
The Wareagle series consists of very deep, well drained soils with moderate permeability that formed in slope alluvium and colluvium from rhyolite and welded rhyolitic tuff. Wareagle soils are on sideslopes and footslopes of mountains. Slopes range from 15 to 50 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 690 mm and average annual temperature is about 2.6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Xeric Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wareagle very gravelly loam -- on a west-facing slightly convex slope of 15 percent, in Douglas-fir woodland, at 2,200 meters elevation. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated. When described on September 21, l983, the soil was dry throughout.)
Oi--0 to 1 cm; slightly decomposed needles, twigs and cones. (1 to 5 cm thick)
Oe--1 to 5 cm; intermediately decomposed needles, twigs and cones. (0 to 3 cm thick)
A--5 to 23 cm; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular and vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (18 to 38 cm thick)
BA--23 to 30 cm; dark brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)
Bw--30 to 43 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium, few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 24 inches thick)
C--43 to 157 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine, fine and medium vesicular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 1 1/2 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Silver City; 200 feet north and 200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 1, T. 5 S., R. 4 W.; USGS De Lamar 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 00 minutes 38.3 seconds N and longitude 116 degrees 46 minutes 2.5 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 43.0106389 latitude, -116.7673611 longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness - 25 to 38 cm.
Solum thickness - 38 to 86 cm.
Average annual soil temperature - 1.2 to 5.8 degrees C.
Average summer soil temperature - 7.2 to 10.0 degrees F.
Ustic moisture regime bordering on xeric.
Particle-size control section - 17 to 23 percent clay; 40 to 70 percent rock fragments
A horizon
Value - 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry, 1 or 2 moist
Reaction (pH) - slightly acid or neutral
Bw horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4
Texture - GRV-L or CBV-L - 18 to 25 percent clay
Rock fragments - 35 to 60 percent
Reaction (pH) - moderately or slightly acid
C horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 through 6
Texture - GRX-L, CBX-L, or CBX-SL - 12 to 22 percent clay
Rock fragments - 60 to 80 percent
Reaction (pH) - moderately or slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Antrobus,
Basinpeak,
Broad Canyon,
Decram,
Fairydell,
Farlow,
Foxmount,
Gaia,
Grafen,
Greyback,
Handran,
Kamack,
Klug,
Krackle,
Lag,
Maurice,
Middlehill,
Midelight,
Midfork,
Parachute,
Rockabin,
Sebud,
Silvercliff,
Sup,
Supervisor,
Thornburgh,
Tiban,
Timmercrek, and
Tineman series. Antrobus soils are calcareous throughout and are moderately alkaline. Basinpeak soils lack Bw horizons and have an average annual soil temperature of 6.1 to 8.3 degrees C. Decram, Foxmount, Grafen, Krackle, Parachute, Rockabin, and Supervisor soils are 50 to 100 cm deep to bedrock. Broad Canyon and Tineman soils have lithologic discontinuities to coarse textures above 100 cm. Fairydell, Farlow, Greyback, Middlehill, Silvercliff,
Teemat, and Tiban soils are calcareous above 100 cm. Farlow, Grafen, Hadran, Midelight, Midfork, and Sup soils lack Bw horizons. Gaia soils lack Bw horizons and have lamellae in the C horizon. Grafen, Greyback, Handran, Klug, Maurice, Middlehill, Sebud, Tiban, and Tineman lack organic horizons. Kamack and McCort soils have 7.5YR or 5YR hues in the B horizon and average annual soil temperature of 42 to 45 degrees F. Lag soils are neutral throughout. Sebud soils have average annual soil temperature of 45 to 47 degrees F. and have predominantly stones and boulders in the control section. Sup soils have an average annual soil temperature of 44 to 47 degrees F. Thornburgh soils are mildly alkaline in the lower part of the control section. Timmercrek soils have lamellae in the C horizon and are moist intermittently in summer and fall due to convection storms.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wareagle soils are moderately steep and steep on sideslopes and footslopes of mountains at elevations of 1,540 to 2,505 meters. Slopes range from 15 to 50 percent. These soils formed in slope alluvium and colluvium from rhyolite and welded rhyolitic tuff. The climate is cold and moist in winter and warm and dry in summer. Average annual precipitation ranges from 560 to 810 mm, most of which is snow, and average annual temperature ranges from 1.1 to 3.8 degrees C. Frost-free period is less than 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Foxmount and the
Gaib and
Povey series. Foxmount soils are on south and west aspects. Gaib soils are less than 50 mm deep to bedrock and on summits and shoulders. Povey soils have a Mollic epipedon over 41 cm thick and are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wareagle soils are used mainly for woodland and wildlife habitat. Some areas are used for mining facilities. The dominant natural vegetation is Douglas-fir, Oregon grape, mountain snowberry, and elk sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. Wareagle soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County Area, Idaho, l992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Organic horizon - The zone 0 to 5 cm (Oi and Oe horizons)
Mollic epipedon - The zone 5 to 43 cm (The A, BA and Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 30 to 43 cm (The Bw horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 30 to 105 cm (The Bw and part of C horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.