LOCATION WAREAGLE IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Xeric Haplocryolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wareagle very gravelly loam -- on a west-facing slightly convex slope of 15 percent, in Douglas-fir woodland, at 7,200 feet elevation. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated. When described on September 21, l983, the soil was dry throughout.)
Oi--2 to 1/2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, twigs and cones. (1/2 to 2 inches thick)
Oe--1/2 to 0 inches; intermediately decomposed needles, twigs and cones. (0 to 1 inch thick)
A--0 to 7 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular and vesicular pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
BA--7 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, few coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 40 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium, few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 24 inches thick)
C--15 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, firm; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium vesicular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 1 1/2 miles west and 1/2 mile south of Silver City; 200 feet north and 200 feet east of the southwest corner of section 1, T.5S., R.4W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 15 inches
Solum thickness - 15 to 34 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 35 to 40 degrees F.
Average summer soil temperature - 45 to 50 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - 17 to 23 percent clay; 40 to 70 percent rock fragments
A horizon
Value - 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry, 1 or 2 moist
Rock fragments - 35 to 50 percent
Reaction (pH) - slightly acid or neutral
Bw horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4
Texture - GRV-L or CBV-L - 18 to 25 percent clay
Rock fragments - 35 to 60 percent
Reaction (pH) - moderately or slightly acid
C horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 through 6
Texture - GRX-L, CBX-L, or CBX-SL - 12 to 22 percent clay
Rock fragments - 60 to 80 percent
Reaction (pH) - moderately or slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Antrobus, Basinpeak (T), Broad Canyon, Decram, Fairydell, Farlow, Foxmount, Gaia (T), Grafen, Greyback, Handran, Kamack, Klug (T), Krackle (T), Lag (T), Maurice, McCort (T), Middlehill, Midelight, Midfork, Parachute, Rockabin, Sebud, Silvercliff, Sup, Supervisor, Teemat (T), Thornburgh, Tiban, Timmercrek (T), and Tineman series. Antrobus soils are calcareous throughout and are moderately alkaline. Basinpeak soils lack Bw horizons and have an average annual soil temperature of 43 to 47 degrees F. Decram, Foxmount, Grafen, Krackle, Middlehill, Parachute, Rockabin, and Supervisor soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Broad Canyon and Tineman soils have lithologic discontinuities to coarse textures above 40 inches. Fairydell, Farlow, Greyback, Middlehill, Silvercliff, Teemat, and Tiban soils are calcareous above 40 inches. Farlow, Grafen, Hadran, Midelight, Midfork, and Sup soils lack Bw horizons. Gaia soils lack Bw horizons and have lamellae in the C horizon. Grafen, Greyback, Handran, Klug, Maurice, Middlehill, Sebud, Tiban, and Tineman lack organic horizons. Kamack and McCort soils have 7.5YR or 5YR hues in the B horizon and average annual soil temperature of 42 to 45 degrees F. Lag soils are neutral throughout. Sebud soils have average annual soil temperature of 45 to 47 degrees F. and have predominantly stones and boulders in the control section. Sup soils have a average annual soil temperature of 44 to 47 degrees F. Thornburgh soils are mildly alkaline in the lower part of the control section. Timmercrek soils have lamellae in the C horizon and are moist intermittently in summer and fall due to convection storms.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wareagle soils are moderately steep and steep on sideslopes and footslopes of mountains at elevations of 5,050 to 8,200 feet. Slopes range from 15 to 50 percent. These soils formed in slope alluvium and colluvium from ryholite and welded rhyolitic tuff. The climate is cold and moist in winter and warm and dry in summer. Average annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 32 inches, most of which is snow, and average annual temperature ranges from 34 to 39 degrees F. Frost-free period is less than 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Foxmount and the Gaib and Povey (T) series. Foxmount soils are on south and west aspects. Gaib soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock and on summits and shoulders. Povey soils have a mollic epipedon over 16 inches thick and are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Wareagle soils are used mainly for woodland and wildlife habitat. Some areas are used for mining facilities. The dominant natural vegetation is Douglas-fir, Oregon grape, mountain snowberry, and elk sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. Wareagle soils are of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County Area, Idaho, l992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Organic horizon - zone 2 to 0 inches (Oi and Oe)
Mollic epipedon - zone 0 to 15 inches (A, BA, and Bw)
Cambic horizon - zone 10 to 15 inches (Bw)
Particle-size control section - 10 to 40 inches (Bw and part of C)