LOCATION STRIKE ID

Established Series
Rev. DJT/ALH/RWL
07/2012

STRIKE SERIES

The Strike series consists of very deep, well drained soils with moderate permeability that formed in loess and weathered volcanic ash over coarse-loamy alluvium from basalt and weathered volcanic ash. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent on plains. The average annual precipitation is about 7 inches and the average annual temperature is about 53 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Strike loam -- on a nearly level lava flow trough, at 2,940 feet elevation in rangeland. When described on November 29, 1984, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for air-dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

Bw--5 to 12 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bk--12 to 19 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly effervescent, calcium carbonate is disseminated; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

2Bkq--19 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; discontinuous moderate cementation; very hard and brittle, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate is disseminated; 15 percent durinodes; 10 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)

2C1--25 to 30 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate is disseminated; 10 percent fine gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 inches thick)

2C2--30 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate is disseminated; 10 percent fine gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Elmore County, Idaho; about 7 miles northwest of Mountain Home; 650 feet north and 2,350 feet east of the southwest corner of section 21, T. 4 S., R. 4 E.; USGS Crater Rings SW Quadrangle; (Latitude - 43 degrees, 03 minutes, 27 seconds N. and Longitude - 115 degrees, 59 minutes, 15 seconds W.).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 54 to 56 degrees F.
Depth to calcium carbonate - 10 to 15 inches
Depth to lithologic discontinuity - 10 to 25 inches
Depth to bedrock - more than 60 inches
Particle-size control section - 8 to 18 percent clay; 0 to 15 percent rock fragments
Volcanic glass - 5 to 15 percent
Acid oxalate extract Al + 1/2 Fe - less than 0.2 percent
Moisture control section - dry for more than 180 days when the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F.

A horizon
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist
Clay content - 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline

Bw horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction - neutral or slightly alkaline

Bk horizon (when present)
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Calcium carbonate content - 1 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction - slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

2Bkq horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma -2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture - FSL, SL or L
Clay content - 7 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 15 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate content - 15 to 25 percent
Durinode content - 0 to 20 percent
Rupture-resistance class (moist) - firm through extremely firm
Reaction - slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

2C horizon
Value - 7 or 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Texture - FSL, SL or L
Clay content - 7 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 25 percent gravel
Calcium carbonate content - 15 to 25 percent
Reaction - moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Salinity - nonsaline through slightly saline

Some pedons have thin buried layers with silica cementation below 40 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Broyles, Keefa and Weso series. Broyles soils have 2Bkq horizons that contain 20 to 75 percent durinodes and are moderately or strongly alkaline in the upper part of the profile. Keefa soils are moist for 10 to 20 days in summer, effervescent throughout and moderately alkaline in the upper part of the profile. Weso soils are moderately to very strongly alkaline throughout and have average annual soil temperatures of 47 to 53 degrees.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Strike soils are on lava flow troughs on shield volcanoes at elevations of 2,800 to 3,200 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in loess and weathered volcanic ash over coarse-loamy alluvium from basalt and weathered volcanic ash. Average annual precipitation is 6 to 8 inches. Average annual temperature is 52 to 54 degrees F. Frost-free period is 140 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chattin (T) and Tadpole (T) soils. Chattin soils have argillic horizons and are fine-loamy. Tadpole soils have Bkq horizons with 20 to 50 percent durinodes and are coarse-silty. Landscape positions are similar.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow or slow runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Strike soils are used mainly for rangeland. Natural vegetation is shadscale saltbush, bud sagebrush, Indian ricegrass and Thurber needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ada and Elmore counties, Idaho. MLRA 11. These soils are of limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ada County, Idaho, 2012

REMARKS: The Strike series will replace the Weso series in the supplement to the Elmore County Area Soil Survey. Other areas of Weso soils in Southwest Idaho need further investigation.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Ochric epipedon - zone from the surface to 5 inches (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - zone from 5 to 12 inches (Bw horizon)

Durinodic feature - zone from 19 to 25 inches (2Bkq horizon)

Particle-size control section - zone from 10 to 40 inches

Soil moisture regime - aridic

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.