LOCATION WATERCANYON ID

Established Series
Rev. FMK/CLM
06/2011

WATERCANYON SERIES

The Watercanyon series consists of very deep, well drained, soils that have formed in loess and silty alluvium. They are on foothills, mountainsides, ridges and fan terraces. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 14 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Haploxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Watercanyon silt loam - rangeland. On a 5 percent smooth slope, west aspect, at 5,050 feet elevation. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on August 6, 1980, the profile was dry above 20 inches.

A--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

Bw1--2 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)

Bw2--9 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)

Bk1--16 to 22 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; common fine irregular violently effervescent lime filaments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)

Bk2--22 to 32 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 20 inches thick)

C--32 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Cassia County, Idaho; about 600 feet east, 150 feet south of the northwest corner, section 1, T. 11 S., R. 25 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Mean annual soil temperature - 43 to 47 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - 5 to 18 percent clay

A or Ap horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Effervescence - noneffervescent to strongly effervescent

Bw horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Effervescence - noneffervescent to strongly effervescent
Reaction - slightly or moderately alkaline

Bk horizon
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, SI, or VFSL
Clay content - 5 to 16 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 20 to 35 percent
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline

C horizon
Value - 6 to 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - SIL, VFSL
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 30 percent
Reaction - moderately or strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Watercanyon soils are on foothills, mountainsides, ridges and fan terraces. Slopes are 2 to 60 percent. Elevation ranges from 4,500 to 6,500 feet. These soils have formed in loess and silty alluvium. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 18 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 70 to 115 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Harroun, Rexburg, and Ririe soils. Harroun soils are loamy-skeletal and shallow to a duripan. Rexburg and Ririe soils have a mollic epipedon. Harroun soils are on terrace breaks. Rexburg and Ririe soils are on north and east-facing slopes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Watercanyon soils are used for rangeland and irrigated and nonirrigated cropland. The natural vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Watercanyon soils are in southern Idaho and are moderately extensive. MLRA 13 and 25.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bannock County, Idaho, 1983.

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

Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - the zone from 2 to 16 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Calcic horizon - the zone from 16 to 32 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
The typical pedon does have not have free carbonates in all parts above the calcic horizon after mixing to a depth of 18 cm.; thus not a Calcixerept. However, pedons correlated to this series in other surveys have carbonates to the surface and do classify as Calcixerepts, laboratory data supports this fact. Earlier versions of Soil Taxonomy did not require carbonates to the surface only a calcic horizon within about 1 meter (Calcixerollic Xerochrepts). Data in NASIS has carbontes in the surface layer, thus the typical concept of the series needs evaluation.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.