LOCATION BABBINGTON IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Calciargidic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Babbington loam -- on a slightly convex slope of 2 percent, in rangeland at 4,230 feet elevation. (When described on July 3, 1984, the soil was dry to 3 inches and slightly moist below. Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine vesicular and interstitial pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine angular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and in pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--13 to 29 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, few fine tubular pores; many thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few medium sized, slightly effervescent soft masses of lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Btk--29 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine pores; many thin clay films in pores; moderately effervescent; common lime veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 24 inches thick)
2C--42 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) with common medium faint mottles of light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) stratified loamy sand and very gravelly sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive and single grain; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 to 60 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 3 miles north and 13 miles west of Reynolds; 200 feet east and 1,250 feet south of the northwest corner of section 13, T.2 S., R.6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 8 to 20 inches
Depth to calcium carbonates - 12 to 36 inches
Depth to stratified coarse textured material - 40 inches or more Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Soil moisture - continuous dry 90 to 120 days in summer and early fall
Bt horizon (upper part)
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - CL or SICL - 27 to 35 percent clay
Reaction (pH) - neutral or mildly alkaline
Btk horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - CL, L, or SIL - 24 to 32 percent clay
Coarse fragments - 0 to 10 percent, mainly gravel
Effervescence - slight or moderate (less that 15 percent
calcium carbonate)
Reaction (pH) - mildly or moderately alkaline
2C horizon
Hue - 10YR or 5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Mottles - few or common, faint to prominent
Texture - (stratified) LS to GRV-S, with thin layers of medium textured material common
Effervescence - none to slight
Reaction (pH) - mildly or moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bidwell, Doyce, Haw, and Zen series. All these soils are well drained. Bidwell soils are dry about 150 consecutive days in summer and early fall. Doyce soils have a calcic horizon with 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent and 10 to 35 rock fragments below 17 to 24 inches. Haw soils lack lime in any part of the argillic horizon. Zen soils are moderately deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Babbington soils are on nearly level alluvial flats and bottomlands at elevation of 3,400 to 5,300 feet. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in mixed alluvium from extrusive rocks and volcanic ash. The climate is cool and moist in the winter and warm and dry in the summer. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches and average annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F. Frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beetville and Piline (T) series. Beetville soils lack argillic horizons and on similar or slightly concave positions. Piline soils are poorly drained, have deep cracks when dry, a high water table of 1 to 2 feet and on lower positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained with high water table at 3.5 to 5.0 feet; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Babbington soils are used mainly for hayland, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is basin big sagebrush, basin wildrye, bluebunch wheatgrass, and bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County, Idaho, 1975.
REMARKS: This revision changes the type location and drainage class.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 13 inches (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - zone from 4 to 42 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons)
k horizon - zone from 29 to 42 inches (Btk horizon)
Particle -size control section - the zone from 4 to 24 inches (Bt1 and upper part of Bt2 horizons)
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.