LOCATION CALD ID+WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Cumulic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cald silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Ap2--3 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A1--9 to 18 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
A2--18 to 25 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Cg--25 to 32 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; common fine distinct redox concentrations; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
C--32 to 60 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; common fine distinct redox concentrations; moderate fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Benewah County, Idaho; about 6 miles west and 1 mile north of Plummer; 680 feet south of the NE corner of the NW1/4 sec. 6, T.46N., R.5W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 51 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 59 to 63 degrees F. The soils are usually moist, but are dry between depths of 4 and 12 inches for 45 to 70 consecutive days in late summer and autumn. Depth to aquic conditions with chroma of 2 or less with redox concentrations is 20 to 30 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 24 to 38 inches thick. In some pedons, there are few fine basaltic pebbles that occupy less than 5 percent of the volume.
The Ap or A horizons have value of 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is moderately acid to neutral. Base saturation is less than 75 percent in some part of the soil above depth of 30 inches.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 7 dry and 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. Redox concentrations range from few fine faint to many fine distinct. This horizon is silt loam or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the McBee series. McBee soils have silty clay loam and clay loam B horizons and have a mean annual soil temperature of 52 to 55 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cald soils are on bottom lands and drainageways. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in alluvium primarily from loess, with variable amounts of volcanic ash. Elevations area 2,000 to 3,500 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 18 to 24 inches, and the frost-free season is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bridgeson, Chamber, Latah, Latahco, Lovell, Mondovi, Naff, Palouse, Snow and Thatuna soils. Bridgeson soils have mollic epipedons 9 to 12 inches thick, and mottles immediately below the mollic epipedon. Chamber soils have more than 35 percent clay in the control section. Latah and Latahco soils have albic and argillic horizons. Lovell soils have ochric epipedons. Mondovi soils have less than 18 percent clay in the control section. Naff and Thatuna soils have argillic horizons and lack mottles. Palouse soils have a regular decrease of organic matter with increasing depth. Snow soils have a cambic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; moderately slow permeability. Occasional flooding of brief duration can be expected during spring runoff in about 3 out of 5 years. An apparent water table is at its uppermost limit from November to June.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nonirrigated cropland. Wheat, barley, oats, dry peas, lentils, legume-grass hay and pasture are the principal crops. Native vegetation is silver lupine, iris, blue camas, Reed canarygrass, rose, sedges, snowberry, tufted hairgrass, willow and hawthorn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington, northern Idaho and northeastern Oregon. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Benewah County Area, Idaho, 1975.
REMARKS: The Cald soils were formerly in the Caldwell series.
This series reclassified 1/2000 from Cumulic Ultic Haploxerolls to Aquic Cumulic Haploxerolls based on revisions to Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic horizons and features include:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 25 inches.
Aquic feature - the zone from 25 to 32 inches with chroma of 2 or less and redox concentrations.
Cumulic feature - an assumed irregular decrease in organic carbon from 10 inches to 50 inches.
Ultic feature - base saturation (sum) of 75 percent or less in some horizon between 10 and 30 inches.