LOCATION LANCE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Lance silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; contains 5 percent hard and brittle durinodes in lower part; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bkq1--9 to 14 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) weakly silica-cemented silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; contains about 75 percent 1/2 inch extremely hard and brittle durinodes and discontinuous 1/8 inch thick lenses; violently effervescent with many very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime coatings on durinodes and lenses and as threads in matrix; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Bkq2--14 to 22 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; contains 50 percent 1/2 inch extremely hard brittle durinodes; noneffervescent matrix but durinodes have many very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime coatings; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 30 inches thick)
Bkq3--22 to 40 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common black (10YR 2/1) coatings on peds; common thin discontinuous silica films on peds and in pores; noneffervescent matrix but has common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) lime in seams; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
Bkq4--40 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; few thin silica films in tubular pores and as bridges between sand grains; slightly effervescent, lime in seams and in pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Spokane County, Washington; About 2110 feet north and 450 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 14, T.23N., R.41E., W.M.; USGS Cheney, Wash. Topographic quadrangle; (Latitude 47 degrees, 29 minutes, 3.87 seconds N. and Longitude 117 degrees, 36 minutes, 39.69 seconds W.), NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 48 to 52 degrees F
Moisture control section - dry 75 to 90 consecutive days after summer solstice, July to September, moist October through June
Clay content -18 to 27 percent in particle-size control section
Depth to Bkq horizons - 6 to 12 inches
Calcium Carbonate equivalent - less than 15 percent by weight throughout
Reaction - moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline
A horizons
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry or moist, but never a value of both 5 dry and 3 moist
Durinodes - 0 to 20 percent, weakly to strongly cemented
Bkq horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Structure - subangular blocky, angular block, prismatic, or massive
Durinodes - 25 to 80 percent in the upper part and 0 to 50 percent in the lower part, weakly to strongly cemented
A weak duripan is present in some pedons below 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Hans series. Hans soils lack durinodes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lance soils are on convex summits and shoulders of loess hills on the Columbia basalt plateau. Slopes range from 0 to 60 percent. Lance soils occur at elevations of 1,800 to 2,800 feet. They formed in young loess mixed with minor amounts of volcanic ash over an older age of calcareous loess. These soils occur in a climate with warm, relatively dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 20 inches, with areas ranging to 12 inches in Garfield County, Washington. Mean annual temperature is about 46 to 52 degrees F.; average January temperature is about 25 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 68 degrees F.; and average frost-free season is about 110 to 155 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Athena, Staley, Broadax and Reardan soils. All of these soils have mollic epipedons. Athena soils occur on all positions in loess hills and lack the accumulation of silica and the presence of carbonates above 43 inches. Staley soils occur on convex summits, but lack the accumulation of silica. Reardan and Broadax soils occur on all positions in loess hills and have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Small grains, alfalfa, and grass. Native vegetation is mainly Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington. MLRA 9. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington, 1964.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 9 inches (Ap horizon)
Cambic horizon - 9 to 40 inches (Bkq1, Bkq2 and Bkq3 horizons)
Presence of secondary carbonates - 9 to 60 inches
Presence of silica accumulation - 9 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the Bkq1, Bkq2 and Bkq3 horizons)
Classification revised from fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic, Durinodic Xerorthent to fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerept due to the presence of a cambic horizon in December 2006.
Calcic subgroup criteria - met by having identifiable secondary carbonates within 44 inches and not having a calcic horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA - National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska, lab pedon number 05N0555 (user pedon ID S05WA-063-002) and 86P0077 (user pedon ID 85WA075015).