LOCATION BUCKETLAKE         OR

BUCKETLAKE SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Typic Vitricryands

TYPICAL PEDON: Bucketlake stony ashy silt loam - woodland, on a 38 percent planar south-facing slope at an elevation of 7,000 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; needles and twigs.

A--1 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stony ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, few medium and coarse roots; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.5); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

Bw1--6 to 13 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) stony ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--13 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) stony ashy silt loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) dry; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine, few medium and coarse roots; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 7 to 18 inches.)

2Bwb--20 to 39 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) extremely stony sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 19 inches thick)

2BCb--39 to 62 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely stony sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4); weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 25 percent gravels, 20 percent cobbles, and 20 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon, about 2,262 feet north and 3,519 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 36, T. 4 S., R. 42 E. (Latitude 45 degrees, 10 minutes, 19 seconds N; Longitude 117 degrees, 30 minutes, 19 seconds W).

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry for 30 to 45 consecutive days.
Mean annual soil temperature - 35 to 41 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 41 to 48 degrees F.
Mean winter soil temperature - 28 to 36 degrees F.
Upper part of the particle-size control section - 5 to 10 percent clay (apparent field texture) and 5 to 35 percent rock fragments.
Lower part of the particle-size control section - 5 to 15 percent clay and 35 to 75 percent rock fragments.
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches.
Solum thickness - greater than 60 inches.

Volcanic ash mantle - 14 to 20 inches thick.
Particles of 0.02 to 2.0 mm - 60 to 70 percent.
Organic matter 0.5 to 3 percent.
Acid-oxalate A1 plus 1/2 Fe - 2 to 3 percent.
Phosphate retention - 60 to 90 percent.
Glass content - 60 to 90 percent.
15-bar water retention on air-dried sample - 5 to 12 percent.

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR.
Value - 2 to 5 moist, 3 to 7 dry.
Chroma - 2 to 4 moist or dry.
Texture - ST-ashy SIL, GR-ashy SIL, ashy SIL.
Rock fragments - 5 to 35 percent total with 5 to 20 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones, 0 to 5 percent boulders.
Clay - 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction - 5.1 to 6.5.
Base saturation (sum of cations) - 15 to 25 percent.
Bulk density - 0.65 to 0.85 g/cc.

Bw horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 8 dry.
Chroma - 4 to 6 moist or dry.
Texture - ST-ashy SIL, ashy SIL, GR-ashy SIL, CB-ashy SIL.
Rock fragments - 5 to 35 percent total with 5 to 20 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones, 0 to 5 percent boulders.
Clay - 5 to 15 percent.
Reaction - 5.6 to 6.5.
Base saturation (sum of cations) - 2 to 10 percent.

2Bwb horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 8 dry. Chroma - 4 to 6 moist or dry. Texture - STV-SIL, STV-L, STX-SL, CBV-SL, GRV-SIL, GRV-SL, CBV-COSL.
Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent total with 10 to 25 percent gravel, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 20 percent stones, 0 to 10 percent boulders.
Clay - 5 to 15 percent. Reaction - 5.6 to 6.5.
Base saturation (sum of cations) - 10 to 35 percent.

2BCb horizon
Hue - 10YR to 2.5Y.
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry.
Chroma - 4 to 6 moist or dry.
Texture - STX-SL, STV-SL, CBV-SL, CBV-COSL.
Rock fragments - 40 to 75 percent total with 15 to 40 percent gravel, 15 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 20 percent stones, 0 to 10 percent boulders.
Clay - 5 to 10 percent.
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3.
Base saturation (sum of cations) - 25 to 50 percent.

COMPETING SERIES:
Bucketlake - very deep (>60 inches), loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subrounded and rounded rock fragments and clay content of 5 to 15 percent, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite

Angelpeak - deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is slightly acid or neutral and has 60 to 85 percent angular rock fragments, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from argillite

Ashnola - moderately deep and deep (35 to 50 inches) to a densic contact, very deep (>60 inches) to bedrock, ashy part of the pscs is gravelly ashy sandy loam and less than 50 percent silt, formed in volcanic ash over till from sedimentary and volcanic rocks

Ducklake (T) - deep (40 to 60 inches) to a densic contact, very deep (>60 inches) to bedrock, ashy part of the pscs is stony ashy silt loam with more than 50 percent silt, loamy-skeletal part of pscs has rounded or well rounded rock fragments, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite

Huckleberry - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact, pscs dominated by channer fragments of shale, phyllite, and quartzite origin

Lackeyshole (T) - deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is slightly acid or neutral and has 35 to 55 percent subangular rock fragments and less than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from andesitic basalt and basalt

McCalpinemeadow (T) - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact; loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular rock fragments, more than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, and clay content of 5 to 10 percent; formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from granite and granodiorite

Mountemily - very deep (>60 inches), loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular and angular rock fragments and clay content of 18 to 30 percent, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from basalt

Mudlakebasin (T) - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has well rounded and rounded rock fragments, and clay content of 4 to 18 percent, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite

Towermountain (T) - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a paralithic contact, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from rhyolitic tuff

Troutmeadows - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular rock fragments, less than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, and clay content of 10 to 18 percent, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from basalt

Ufish (T) - deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is strongly acid to slightly acid, and has 35 to 60 percent subrounded or subangular rock fragments and more than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from granite and granodiorite

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bucketlake soils are associated with ground moraines of mountain valleys and lateral moraines of glaciated mountain slopes. Elevations are 5,400 to 7,400 feet. Slopes are 10 to 60 percent. The soil is formed in volcanic ash overlying glacial till derived predominantly from granitic rocks. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and cool, moist summers. The mean annual precipitation is 30 to 55 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 33 to 41 degrees F. The frost-free period is 15 to 65 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Marblepoint(T), Mudlakebasin(T), Prouty and Teewinot soils. Marblepoint soils have 7 to 14 inches of volcanic ash. Mudlakebasin soils are moderately deep. Prouty soils are moderately deep and have 7 to 14 inches of volcanic ash. Teewinot soils are shallow and have less than 7 inches of ash.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderately rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, watershed, recreation and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Engleman spruce, western larch, whitebark pine, grouse huckleberry, big huckleberry, prince's pine, skunk leaved polemoneum, white hawkweed, sitka valerian, false hellebore, heart leaf arnica, pine grass, and northwestern sedge.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon, MLRA 43c. These soils are of limited extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County, Oregon 1998. The name is derived from Bucket Lake in the Elkhorn Mountains, Oregon.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - from 1 to 6 inches (A horizon)

Cambic horizon - from 6 to 39 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and 2Bw3 horizons)

Particle-size control section - from 1 to 41 inches with 1 to 20 inches qualifying as ashy (A, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons) and from 20 to 41 inches qualifying as loamy-skeletal (2Bw3 horizon and upper 2 inches of 2BC horizon)

The dominant USFS plant association is PICO(ABLA)/VASC/POPU3; other may include ABLA/VASC and ABLA/POPU3.