LOCATION WINDCOAT IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, shallow Duric Xeric Petrocryids
TYPICAL PEDON: Windcoat gravelly silt loam -- on a 3 percent northeast-facing slope at an elevation of 7,050 feet in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 5, 1981, the soil was moist to 14 inches.)
A--0 to 3 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine, and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; lime and silica coatings less than 1mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; strongly effervescent (30 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bkq1--3 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, new fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; lime and silica coatings less than 1mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; strongly effervescent (45 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bkq2--10 to 14 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; lime and silica coatings 1 to 5mm thick on undersides and some sides of coarse fragments; violently effervescent (55 percent calcium carbonate); strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bkqm--14 to 18 inches; white (10YR 8/2) indurated duripan, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; continuous silica cemented laminar cap 1 mm. thick; 50 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; violently effervescent (70 percent calcium carbonate); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches)
2Bkq1--18 to 30 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, massive; 25 percent hard and firm, 25 percent very hard and very firm, 50 percent loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; lime and silica coatings and pendants 3 to 10mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; violently effervescent (65 percent calcium carbonate); very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
2Bkq2--30 to 60 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly loam coarse sand, single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 65 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; lime and silica coatings and pendants; 3 to 10 mm thick on undersides of coarse fragments; coarse fragments weakly cemented together by silica; violently effervescent (65 percent calcium carbonate); very strongly alkaline (pH 9.5).
TYPE LOCATION: Lemhi County, Idaho; about 30 miles southeast of Leadore, Idaho, about 800 feet west and 2,280 feet north from the southeast corner of sec. 11, T. 11N., R. 28 E. Latitude - 44 degrees, 17 minutes, 47 seconds North; Longitude - 113 degrees, 02 minutes, 45 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 37 to 41 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 55 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to indurated duripan - 9 to 15 inches
Reaction - moderately to very strongly alkaline
Control section - 12 to 20 percent clay
Rock fragments - 15 to 25 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent of control section - 30 to 55 percent
A horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
Bkq horizon
Value - 5 through 7 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Coarse fragments - 15 to 25 percent
Texture - GR-SIL or GR-L
Bkqm horizon
Cementation - indurated in upper part and strongly cemented in lower part
2Bkq horizon
Coarse fragments - 60 to 90 percent
Texture - GRX-COSL or GRX-LCOS
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Nicholia series. Nicholia soils have a duripan less than 3 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Windcoat soils are on outwash fans and fan terraces and have slopes of 2 to 20 percent. Elevations are 6,000 to 8,000 feet. The soils formed in alluvium derived dominantly from limestone. The climate is cold and moist in winter and dry in summer. Average annual precipitation ranges from 8 to 11 inches. Average summer temperature is 53 to 56 degrees F, and the average annual air temperature is 35 to 38 degrees F. Frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arbus, Bluedome, Fandow, and Mountainboy soils, all of which occur on fan terraces and outwash fans. Arbus soils lack duripans. Bluedome soils are moderately deep to a duripan. Fandow soils have weak duripans. Mountainboy soils have weak duripans and mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Vegetation is mainly low sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Idaho. These soils are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lemhi County, Idaho, 1999.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon
Duripan - the zone from 14 to 18 inches (indurated)
Calcic horizon - 3 to 14 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 0 to 14 inches.