LOCATION CABINCREEK ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cabincreek ashy sandy loam - on an 85 percent planar northeastfacing slope at 2,000 feet in elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 10 inches; black (10YR 2/1) ashy sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak to moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 22 inches thick)
A2--10 to 20 inches; black (10YR 2/1) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 13 inches thick)
2AB--20 to 28 inches, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
2BC--28 to 42 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
R--42 inches; indurated metavolcanic bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon
Section 25 (NW 1/4, SE 1/4, SW 1/4), T. 05 N., R. 47 E.
Latitude: 45 degrees, 52 minutes, 37.5 seconds N
Longitude: 116 degrees, 53 minutes, 16.1 seconds W
UTM coordinates: zone 11; north 5080179.5 meters, east 508706.9 meters; NAD27
USGS Quadrangle: Jim Creek Butte
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: mesic regime
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 46 to 51 degrees F
Mean Summer Soil Temperature: 56 to 64 degrees F
Mean Winter Soil Temperature: 35 to 39 degrees F
Soil Moisture: xeric regime; dry 75 to 120 consecutive days in summer
Particle-size Control Section: 10 to 40 inches below mineral soil surface
clay content, average: 8 to 17 percent
rock fragment content, average: 5 to 25 percent
Diagnostic Horizons and Features:
vitrandic subgroup properties: upper boundary at the mineral surface; 18 to 32 inches thick
Al+1/2Fe (ammonium oxalate): 0.1 to 0.4 percent
glass content in the 0.02-2.0mm fraction: 20 to 40 percent
mollic epipedon: 20 to 40 inches thick
lithic contact, depth below mineral soil surface: 40 to 60 inches
base saturation (by sum of cations) more than 75 percent in all horizons between 10 and 30 inches
A1 horizon:
color, moist: 10YR 2/1, 2/2, 3/1
color, dry: 10YR 3/1, 3/2, 3/3
texture: ASHY-SIL, ASHY-SL, ASHY-L
clay content: 8 to 18 percent
gravel content: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline; pH: 6.6 to 7.8
A2 horizon:
color, moist: 10YR 2/1, 2/2, 3/2
color, dry: 10YR 3/2, 4/3, 5/3
texture: ASHY-SL, ASHY-SIL , ASHY-L
clay content: 8 to 17 percent
gravel content: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline; pH: 6.6 to 7.8
2AB horizon:
color, moist: 10YR 2/1, 3/2, 3/3
color, dry: 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 5/4
texture: SIL, GR-SL, CB-SL, GR-L
clay content: 9 to 17 percent
rock fragment content: 5 to 20 percent total
gravel: 5 to 20 percent
cobbles: 0 to 5 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline; pH: 6.6 to 7.8
2BC horizon:
color, moist: 10YR 3/2, 3/3, 4/2, 4/3
color, dry: 10YR 4/2, 4/3, 4/4, 5/4
texture: SIL, GR-SL, GR-L
clay content: 7 to 17 percent
rock fragment content: 10 to 35 percent total
gravel: 10 to 25 percent
cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline; pH: 6.6 to 7.8
COMPETING SERIES:
Conconully moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to densic contact (till); mollic epipedon 10 to 14 inches thick
Deno - deep (40 to 60 inches) to lithic contact (basalt); base saturation (by sum of cations) less than 75 percent in one or more horizon between 10 and 30 inches
Doublecreek very deep (lacks a lithic contact within 60 inches); formed in colluvium (basalt)
Fanal very deep (lacks a lithic contact within 60 inches); formed in colluvium (basalt); mollic epipedon 10 to 16 inches thick; moderately well drained with redox concentrations in the lower part of the control section; dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Phoebe - very deep (lacks a lithic contact within 60 inches) formed in mixed outwash; lower part of particle-size control section is loamy sand or sand; dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Safety - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a paralithic contact (weathered granite); mollic epipedon 10 to 16 inches thick; dry 75 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Stevens - moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a densic contact (mixed till); dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Uhlig - very deep (lacks a lithic contact within 60 inches); formed in outwash of mixed lithology; 2Bt horizons with clay films; dry 60 to 75 consecutive days in summer
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: backslopes of dissected plateaus with a north aspect
Slope gradient: 50 to 90 percent
Parent material: mixture of Mazama volcanic ash and loess over colluvium
Lithology: granitic
Elevation: 2,000 to 3,500 feet
Climate: cool, moist winters and hot, dry summer
Mean annual precipitation: 10 to 15 inches
Mean annual temperature: 45 to 49 degrees F
Frostfree period: 165 to 200 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Cookcreek: on planar to convex upper slopes; moderately deep to a lithic contact; more than 35 percent rock fragments throughout; under bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, silky lupine and arrowleaf balsamroot
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderately rapid
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation
Potential natural vegetation: common snowberry, rose, ninebark, service-berry, syringa, silky lupine, mouse-ear, Idaho fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass
Plant associations: SYAL-ROSA (common snowberry/rose); may include: FEID/AGSP-LUSE (Idaho fescue-bluebunch wheatgrass/silky lupine)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: MLRA 10, Blue Mountain Foothills, northeastern Oregon; ramparts of the Snake River Canyon
Extent: small
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, OR 2008. The name is after a creek.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon: 0 to 26 inches; A1, A2, 2AB
vitrandic subgroup properties (mixed ash mantle): 0 to 20 inches; A1 and A2
particle-size control section: 10 to 40 inches; A2, 2AB, 2BC