LOCATION CRUICKSHANK IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Endoaquepts
TYPIFYING PEDON: Cruickshank fine sandy loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; light gray (2.5Y 6/1) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; few fine faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) mottles, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; very weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common very fine pores; slightly calcareous; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
B21ca--9 to 16 inches light gray (2.5Y 7/1) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; common fine faint brown (10YR 5/3) mottles, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; about 5 to 15 percent by volume of hard nodules or krotovinas; moderately calcareous, nodules coated with lime; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
B22ca--16 to 27 inches; light gray (2.5Y 6/1) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) mottles, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; about 20 to 30 percent hard firm nodules or krotovinas; moderately calcareous, nodules coated with lime and common lime veins; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
IIC1--27 to 39 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) light fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) mottles, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; about 1 percent fine gravel; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
IIIC2--39 to 47 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) light sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; few fine, faint, brown (10YR 5/3) mottles, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; about 1 percent fine gravel; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
IVC3ca--47 to 60 inches; white (10YR 8/2) fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; few fine faint brown mottles; massive; slightly hard, firm, very weakly cemented; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2). (0 to 20 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Canyon County, Idaho; 360 feet east of center of road on state line; about 5 miles southwest of Parma; level, low terrace or bottom land at about 2,400 feet elevation; 3,600 feet west and 2,000 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 35, T.5N., R.6W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 54 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 66 degrees to 74 degrees F. Most of the soil between depths of 7 and 20 inches is usually moist, and the soil is saturated with water at some season or is artificially drained. Some pedons have a little gravel on or in the upper horizons. Below depth of about 3 feet the layers range from medium-textured lacustrine sediments or alluvium to moderately coarse textured alluvium. Some pedons are saline or saline-alkali. The organic matter content is low or moderately low and decreases regularly with depth. The 10- to 40-inch section ranges from light fine sandy loam to sandy loam, and to loam below depth of 3 feet, and 10 to 18 percent clay, more than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand, and less than 20 percent gravel. The Ap horizon ranges from moderately calcareous to noncalcareous and from mildly to very strongly alkaline. It has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. Value is not darker than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist when crushed. The B horizon has mottles not due to segregated lime and has dominant chroma of 2 or less within 20 inches of the surface. It is massive or has weak subangular blocky or weak fine or very fine granular structure, and it contains from 5 to 30 percent of hard, firm, rounded nodules or (cicada) krotovinas. The B horizon is moderately calcareous with 5 to 15 percent lime and few or common segregations of lime as veins, splotches, or coatings; and it is moderately or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Ash Springs, Baldock, Ferron, Letha, Moulton, and Oliaga series. Ash Springs soils have calcic horizons. Baldock soils have a medium-textured control section containing more than 18 percent clay. Ferron soils are strongly calcareous and have less than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand in the control section. Moulton soils are noncalcareous. Letha soils have a more developed profile with blocky or prismatic structure and organic or clay coatings on the peds, have high exchangeable sodium (commonly more than 50 percent), and has no mottles with a chroma of 2 or less in the cambic horizon. Oliaga soils are medium textured over loose sand and gravel at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
SETTING: Cruickshank soils are on level to very gently sloping low terraces or bottom lands, chiefly in swales or near the base of slopes. Slopes range up to 2 or 3 percent. Elevations range from about 2,000 to 4,500 feet. The soils formed in alluvium derived from mixed sources, principally from granitic, basaltic, and rhyolitic materials. The climate is semiarid or arid and has dry summers. Mean frost-free season is 110 to 160 days; mean annual precipitation is 7 to 12 inches, including 1 or 2 feet of snow.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Baldock, Letha, and Oliaga soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability to depth of 30 inches, variable below. The water table fluctuates with the season and irrigation, and is usually at depths of 30 to 50 inches, but it is near the surface at some period.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for production of irrigated pasture, small grains, hay, and corn. The natural vegetation is mainly big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, giant wildrye, sedges, cheatgrass, and saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. Inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Canyon County, Idaho, 1973.
REMARKS: Classified formerly as a wet Regosol.