LOCATION ARBIDGE IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Argidurids
TYPICAL PEDON: Arbidge sandy loam -- on a slope of 2 percent under native vegetation at 5,000 feet elevation. When described on April 24, 1978, the soil profile was moist to 15 inches and dry below. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable; many very fine to coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; very few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 15 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bk--15 to 26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent durinodes 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter; strongly effervescent (13 percent calcium carbonate), few fine lime filaments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bkqm--26 to 27 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) duripan, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard; thin (1/16 to 1/8 inch thick) continuous laminar opal cap; fractures are 1/4 inch wide and are 8 inches apart; few very fine and fine roots through fractures; strongly effervescent; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
2Bk--27 to 37 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; common very fine to coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent durinodes 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter; 10 percent gravel; strongly effervescent (11 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2Bkqm--37 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) duripan, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; extremely hard; thin (1/16 to 1/8 inch thick) continuous laminar opal cap; fractures are less than 1/4 inch wide and more than 10 inches apart; few very fine roots through fractures; strongly effervescent; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
3C--40 to 65 inches; multi-colored extremely gravelly sand; few very fine roots; lime and silica coatings on undersides of gravel.
TYPE LOCATION: Twin Falls County, Idaho; about 5 miles southwest of Rogerson, Idaho, in the northwest 1/4, northwest 1/4, southwest 1/4, sec. 26, T. 14 S., R. 15 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to duripan - 20 to 40 inches.
Depth to sand and gravel - 22 to more than 40 inches.
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 53 degrees F.
Depth to calcium carbonate - 10 to 25 inches.
A horizon
Value - 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Bt horizon
Value - 4 through 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist.
Texture - L, CL, SCL.
Clay content - 20 to 34 percent.
Coarse fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel.
Bk horizon
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist.
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist.
Texture - FSL, SL, SCL, GR-SL, GR-SCL.
Coarse fragments - 0 to 20 percent gravel.
Reaction - mildly or moderately alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 5 to 15 percent.
Bkqm horizon
Laminar capping - indurated continuous to nearly continuous. Structure - massive or platy.
Distance between fractures - 4 to 15 inches.
Width of fractures - 1/4 inch or less.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dacker, Deerlodge, Ditchcamp, Exel, Idow (T), Lembos, Madras, Ochoco, Rakane (T), Snowmore, Wako (T), Wellsed, and Wendell (T) series. Dacker soils have SIL or SICL Bt horizons. Deerlodge soils have 7.5YR hue in the B2t horizons and have up to 35 percent gravel in the argillic horizon. Ditchcamp soils are slightly acid or neutral throughout and are noncalcareous throughout the profile. Exel soils have 5YR or 7.5YR hues in the argillic horizons and lack lime in the profile. Idow, Rakane and Wako soils have duripans more than 10 inches thick. Lembos soils are calcareous throughout. Madras, Snowmore and Wendell soils are less than 40 inches deep to bedrock. Ochoco soils have 20 percent or more pumice in the solum. Wellsed soils have 15 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the Bt and are moist for 10 to 20 day cumulative between July and October.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Arbidge soils are on stream and lacustrine terraces, fan terraces, plug domes, calderas, tablelands, and alluvial plains. The slope range is 1 to 15 percent. The soils formed in old alluvium and loess from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. Elevations are 3,000 to 5,500 feet. The average annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 13 inches. The average annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 85 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chuska(T), Lankbush, Owsel, and Udaho(T) soils. Lankbush soils occur just above the Arbidge soils on the landscape and lack a duripan. Chuska soils are on terraces, dipslopes, and ridges and are shallow to a duripan. Owsel soils are on terraces and basins and lack a duripan. Udaho soils are on sideslopes and backslopes, are skeletal and moderately deep to welded ash.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Arbidge soils are used for rangeland, wildlife habitat, and irrigated cropland. Wheat, potatoes, barley, and alfalfa hay are the principal irrigated crops. The potential natural plant community is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, needleandthread, Wyoming big sagebrush, and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Arbidge soils are of moderate extent in south central and southwestern Idaho.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County, Idaho; Duck Valley Indian Reservation Idaho-Nevada, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 4 to 15 inches (Bt horizons).
Duripans - the zones from 26 to 27 inches and from 37 to 40 inches (Bkqm and 2Bkqm horizons).
Particle-size control section - the zone from 4 to 26 inches (top of argillic to duripan).