LOCATION WHEELER IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wheeler silt loam, rangeland; on a 13 percent southwesterly slope at 4,700 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very thin platy structure; soft, very friable, common very fine to medium roots; many very fine vesicular pores; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
C1--3 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) (light gray 10YR 7/2 crushed) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak coarse prismatic structure that parts to very weak coarse subangular blocky; soft, very friable, common very fine to medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
C2--14 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak coarse prismatic structure that parts to very weak coarse subangular blocky; soft, very friable; common very fine to medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; very few very fine white salt or gypsum veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
C3yc--24 to 46 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; very weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; few fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many very fine salt or gypsum veins; common brown very fine soft iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 42 inches thick)
C4yc--46 to 68 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; many white very fine veins of salt or gypsum only in vertical cracks or as streaks; common brown very fine soft iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
C5c--68 to 85 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common very fine tubular pores; very few very fine salt spots; common brown very fine soft iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; about 8 miles east of Blackfoot near the mouth of Lincoln Creek; SE1/4 of the SW1/4 of section 36, T.2S., R.36 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F.
The soils are usually dry but are moist in some part between depths of 4 and 12 inches for 60 to 80 consecutive days in spring and early summer. Particle-size control section
Texture - SIL or SI containing much coarse silt
Clay content - 6 to 12 percent (less than 5 percent particles coarser than very fine sand)
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 15 to 23 percent with a bulge of 1 to 3 percent in the upper part of the C horizon
A horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3
Organic matter - 0.4 to 1 percent
Structure - the upper 2 or 3 inches is platy or very weak very fine granular
C horizons
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3
Structure - to a depth of 2 or 3 feet, it has very weak coarse prismatic, weak or very weak coarse subangular blocky structure or is massive
Salinity - where not irrigated, the C horizon below a depth of 18 to 36 inches is moderately or slightly saline with sodium chloride and sodium sulphate and may contain up to 15 to 50 percent exchangeable sodium.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kennewick, Linoyer, Pocatello, Pomat, and Ritzcal series. Kennewick soils have hard firm laminated silt loam above a depth of 40 inches and calcium carbonate equivalent of 6 percent or less. Linoyer soils have 5 to 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand in the particle-size control section. Pocatello and Ritzcal soils have Bk horizons. Pomot soils are hard to very hard dry in the control section, and have 12 to 17 percent clay and generally more than 5 percent coarser than very fine sand in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wheeler soils are on strongly sloping to very steep foothills and fan terraces at elevations of 3,000 to 5,500 feet. Slopes range from about 12 to 75 percent and most areas have southerly exposures. The soils formed in loess and silty alluvium from loess. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cold moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 8 to 13 inches including 1 to 4 feet of snow. The frost free season is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kucera, McDole, Neeley, and Portneuf soils and the competing Pocatello soils. Kucera, McDole, and Neeley soils have mollic epipedons. Portneuf soils have a calcic horizon and are weakly cemented or have greater than 20 percent durinodes in a layer more than 7 inches thick. Kucera soils are generally on steep north-facing slopes. McDole and Neeley soils are on fan terraces and foothills. Portneuf soils are on fan terraces and basalt plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for rangeland. Some areas for small grains, hay, sugar beets, potatoes, and pasture. The potential natural vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, bluebunch wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and arrowleaf balsamroot.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Idaho. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Columbia Basin Area, Washington, 1929.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 3 inches (A horizon).
The pedon lacks other diagnostic horizons or features.
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the C1 horizon, the C2 horizon, and part of the C3yc horizon)