LOCATION WHITETOP           ID
Established Series
Rev. BJD-FRK-RJS
07/2008

WHITETOP SERIES


The Whitetop series consists of shallow, well drained soils formed in residuum from weakly consolidated ash. These soils are on shoulders, summits, and upper backslopes of hills. Permeability is moderately rapid. Slopes range from 8 to 45 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 16 inches and the average annual air temperature is about 41 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid, shallow Vitrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Whitetop ashy fine sandy loam, rangeland; on 20 percent northwest facing slopes at 6,200 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; 5 percent parachannery; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)

Bw--4 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) parachannery ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; 20 percent parachanners; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)

Cr--16 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) weakly consolidated ash.

TYPE LOCATION: Bear Lake County, Idaho; about 2 miles west of Bennington, Idaho; about 550 feet north and 1,500 feet west of the southeast corner of section 1, T. 12 S., R. 43 E. (42 degrees 24 minutes 9.6 seconds North Latitude and 111 degrees 22 minutes 20.6 seconds West Longitude)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture control section usually moist, dry in all parts for 45 consecutive days or more in the four months following the summer solstice. Xeric moisture regime.

Thickness of mollic epipedon 14 to 20 inches
Depth to paralithic contact 10 to 20 inches
Average annual soil temperature 41 to 44 degrees F. Frigid soil temperature regime.

Particle-size control section
Clay content 8 to 12 percent
Pararock fragments 0 to 20 percent

A horizon
Value 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma 2 or 3 dry, 2 moist
Clay content 8 to 12 percent
Pararock fragments 0 to 5 percent parachanners
Reaction slightly acid to neutral
Estimated volcanic glass content of 35 to 60 percent and acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.07 to 0.1.

Bw horizon
Value 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma 2 or 3 dry, 2 moist
Textures ashy fine sandy loam, parachannery ashy fine sandy loam
Clay content 8 to 12 percent
Pararock fragments 0 to 20 percent
Reaction slightly acid to neutral
Estimated volcanic glass content of 35 to 60 percent and acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.07 to 0.1.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: summits, shoulders and upper backslopes of hills in the Salt Lake Formation.
Elevation: 5,850 to 7,000 feet
Slope: 8 to 45 percent
Parent Material: residuum from weakly consolidated ash
Climate: long, cool winters; dry, warm summers
Average annual precipitation: 15 to 22 inches
Average annual temperature: 39 to 45 degrees
Frost-free season: 70 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crossley, Cadero (T), and Burchert (T) soils. Crossley soils are on summits, have a lithic contact and a light colored surface. Cadero soils are on the same landscape positions, on north-facing aspects and are moderately deep to weakly consolidated ash. Burchert soils are on backslopes and shoulders and are moderately deep to weakly consolidated ash with mixed alluvium in the upper part.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for wildlife habitat and rangeland. The dominant native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, serviceberry, mountain snowberry, buckwheat, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sanberg bluegrass, and prairie junegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Idaho. The series is not extensive. MLRA 43B.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bear Lake County, Idaho, 2008. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Depths to diagnostic horizons and features start from the mineral soil surface. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in his pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: the zone from 0 to 16 inches (A and Bw horizons)

Paralithic contact: 16 inches (Cr horizon)

Vitrandic feature - Estimated volcanic glass content of 35 to 60 percent and acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.07 to 0.1.

Particle-size control section: the zone from 10 to 16 inches (part of the Bw horizon)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.