LOCATION SUGARCREEK ID

Established Series
Rev. ALH/CLM
11/2019

SUGARCREEK SERIES

The Sugarcreek series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium from vitric tuff and breccia. They are on sideslopes and summits of structural benches. Permeability is moderate. Slopes are 3 to 30 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the average annual temperature is about 8.9 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcids

TYPICAL PEDON: Sugarcreek gravelly loam -- on a slightly convex northwest-facing slope of 5 percent, in native rangeland, at 2,030 meters elevation. When described on July 27, 1982, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for air dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--10 to 33 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium, few coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

Bk--33 to 53 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine, few medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 cm thick)

Bkq1--53 to 71 cm; white (10YR 8/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable nonsticky and nonplastic; brittle thin discontinuous indurated laminae throughout; common very fine and fine roots concentrated in fractures and on laminae; few very fine and fine vesicular pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; thin discontinuous carbonate and silica coatings on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 46 cm thick)

Bkq2--71 to 99 cm; white (10YR 8/2) extremely gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 65 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; thin discontinuous secondary carbonate and silica coatings on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 51 cm thick)

R--99 cm; moderately fractured black vitrophyric breccia.

TYPE LOCATION: Owyhee County, Idaho; about 28 1/2 miles north and 1 1/2 miles east of Three Creek; 1200 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of section 12, T. 11 S., R. 11 E.; USGS Coonskin Butte NE 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 29 minutes 26 seconds N and longitude 115 degrees 06 minutes 27 seconds W; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.4905556 latitude, -115.1075000 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Average annual soil temperature - 8.9 to 11.1 degrees C.
Depth to calcium carbonates - 18 to 36 cm.
Depth to bedrock - 50 to 100 cm.
Particle-size control section - 12 to 25 percent clay; 35 to 70 percent rock fragments.
Soil moisture: Usually dry, moist in the winter and spring, dry from late June through October; aridic soil moisture regime bordering on xeric.

A horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry or moist
Reaction (pH) - neutral or mildly alkaline

Bw and Bk horizons
Value - 5 or 6 dry
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - GR-L or GRV-L
Clay content - 18 to 25 percent
Rock fragments - 20 to 45 percent
Reaction (pH) - mildly or moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 0 to 10 percent

Bkq horizon
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - GRV-SL or GRX-LS
Clay content - 5 to 18 percent
Rock fragments - 35 to 85 percent
Effervescence - strong or violent
Reaction (pH) - moderately through very strongly alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent - 10 to 30 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Mina, Porrone, Tupper, and Zineb series. All these soils are greater than 100 cm to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sugarcreek soils are on undulating to hilly summits and sideslopes of hills and structural benches at elevations of 3500 to 5000 feet. Slopes range from 3 to 30 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from vitric tuff and breccia. The climate is hot and dry in the summer and cool and moist in the winter. The average annual precipitation ranges from 200 to 250 cm and the average annual temperature ranges from 7.8 to 10.0 degrees C. The frost-free period is 90 to 125 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Minveno and Troughs series. Both are shallow to a duripan and on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; medium or rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Sugarcreek soils are used mainly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The dominant natural vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber needlegrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Idaho. Sugarcreek soils are of small extent. MLRA 25.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Owyhee County Area, Idaho, 1992.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 18 cm (A and part of the Bw horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 33 cm (The Bw horizon).
Calcic horizon - The zone from 53 to 99 cm (The Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Duric feature - The zone from 53 to 74 cm which has brittle thin discontinuous indurated laminae (The Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 99 cm (R boundary).

Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 99 cm (Part of Bw horizon and the Bk, Bkq1 and Bkq2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.