LOCATION SASSER IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Aridic Calcixerolls
TYPIFYING PEDON: Sasser fine sandy loam, pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; very weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; slightly calcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
AB--6 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) (dark grayish brown, 10YR 4/2 crushed) moist; very weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; about 3 percent gravel; slightly calcareous; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
B--10 to 14 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
C1ca--14 to 21 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; very weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; about 2 percent gravel; strongly calcareous, few fine veins and spots of lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C2ca--21 to 32 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few hard nodules (cicada krotovinas); about 3 percent gravel; strongly calcareous, few splotches of lime and gravel lime coated on bottom side; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C3ca--32 to 38 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; about 15 percent rounded gravel; strongly calcareous, few fine spots of lime and gravel lime-coated on lower half; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
IIC4ca--38 to 50 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly coarse sand, about 15 percent of sand is black or very dark gray; single grained; looses; few fine and medium roots; about 70 percent various colored rounded gravel; gravel mostly quartzite; moderately calcareous, gravel lime-coated on lower side; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Bingham County, Idaho; 650 feet south and 50 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 18, T.3S., R.35E.; level terrace.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 41 degrees to 47 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 59 degrees to 66 degrees F. The soils are usually dry and are dry for about 60 to 75 days in the summer. The upper 10 to 25 inches of the 10 to 40 inch control section are predominantly moderately coarse textured averaging less than 18 (mainly 8 to 13) percent clay, more than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand, and less than 15 percent rock fragments. Strongly contrasting textures of sand and gravel are at depths of 20 to 38 inches. When mixed to a depth of 7 inches, the soils have a mollic epipedon 7 to 12 inches thick. When mixed to a depth of 7 inches, the soil is calcareous to the surface. The depth to the calcic horizon ranges from about 10 to 16 inches. The A horizon has value of 5 to 5.5 dry and 3 to 3.5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 2.5. It is neutral to moderately alkaline. The B horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has weak or very weak subangular blocky structure. The Cca horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. A subhorizon of the Cca horizon at least 6 inches thick contains 15 to 25 percent calcium carbonate. The B and C horizons range from mildly to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Bannock, Bock, Paesl, Presto, Stan, and Wapello series. Bannock soils are dominantly medium textured between depths of 10 to 20 inches over the sand and gravel. Bock soils are no calcareous to the surface, have a medium textured control section, and lack sand and gravel at depths of less than 40 inches. Paesl soils lack a calcic horizon and have more than 18 percent clay in the control section above the sand and gravel. Presto soils have loamy sand over silt loam or medium textures above a depth of 40 inches. Stan soils lack loose sand and gravel above a depth of 40 inches. Wapello soils lack a calcic horizon and loose sand and gravel above a depth of 40 inches.
SETTING: The soils are on level to gently sloping terraces at elevations of 4,200 to 5,500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. The soils formed in moderately coarse textured alluvium over stream deposited gravel and sand. The alluvium is dominantly from quartzite and sedimentary rock sources but contains minor rhyolitic, basaltic, and granitic material. The climate is semiarid with dry summers. Average summers. Mean annual precipitation is 10 to 13 inches including 2 to 5 feet of snowfall. Average freeze-free period is 110 to 130 days.
PRINCIPAL ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bannock, Bock, and Paesl soils and the Wolverine soils. Wolverine soils consist of deep sand.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow or medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the A, B, and IC horizons and very rapid in the gravel and sand.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated under irrigation for hay, pasture, and small grains. The principal native plants are needle-and-thread grass, streambank wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass, bitterbrush, and lupine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The series is of moderate extent in the terraces of the upper Snake River Valley in eastern Idaho.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bingham County, Idaho, 1972.
REMARKS: Previously classified as Brown soils.