LOCATION CRANECREEK IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cranecreek loam on a west-facing mound sideslope of 5 percent on rangeland at elevations of 3,300 feet. (Colors are for air-dry soils unless otherwise stated.) When described on June 25, 1979, soil was dry throughout.
A1--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A3--9 to 18 inches; similar to A2 except brown (10YR 5/3) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; few faint clay films in the pores; neutral (pH 7.0) gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--30 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; few prominent clay films on faces of peds and in pores; neutral (pH 7.0) clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Cr--35 inches; decomposing semiconsolidated, dominantly basic igneous bedrock; clay films in some cracks; slightly effervescent in places.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington county, Idaho; 20 miles northeast of Weiser; 2,100 feet west and 680 feet north of the southeast corner of section 2, T. 12 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to decomposing bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Average annual soil temperature - 49 to 53 degrees F.
Average clay in the control section - 27 to 34 percent
A horizon
Value - 5 through 8 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 through 5 dry or moist
Horizons dark enough to be mollic are less than 10 inches thick
Bt horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 4 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 through 7 dry or moist
Texture of CL (clay in the lower 3 to 6 inches)
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are Bancas, Bull Trail, Hilt, Mary, Shefflein, and Vannoy. Bancas soils have average annual soil temperature of 57 to 59 degrees F. and are slightly or moderately acid in the argillic horizon. Bull Trail and Shefflein soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Hilt soils have average annual soil temperature of 53 to 59 degrees F. Mary soils have hard bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Vannoy soils are slightly acid or moderately acid in the Bt horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on old stream terraces at elevations of 2,500 to 4,000 feet. Slopes are 2 to 25 percent. The soils formed in mixed decomposing semi-consolidated gravel, sand and silt dominantly of basic igneous origin. The climate is warm and dry in summer, cold and moist in winter. Average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches, average annual temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 110 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Bakeoven, Deshler, Newell, and Reywat. Bakeoven soils have basalt bedrock above 10 inches. Deshler soils have a mollic epipedon and tuff bedrock above 40 inches. Reywat soils have basalt bedrock above 20 inches. Newell soils are very deep and have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly as rangeland. Some areas are cropped to small grain or alfalfa. Vegetation is bulbous bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, squirrel tail, lupine, big sagebrush, mustard, annual brome, and medusahead wild rye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Idaho, 1992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 18 inches (A1, A2, A3 horizons)
Argillic horizon - 18 to 35 inch depth (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact - at 35 inches
Organic carbon - The A horizon has mollic colors but has less than 0.6 percent organic carbon.