LOCATION SAGEHILL WA+OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Sagehill very fine sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated All textures are apparent field textures).
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; very weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--8 to 19 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 20 inches thick)
2Bk1--19 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak very coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; few spheroidal secondary lime aggregates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
2Bk2--30 to 39 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; secondary lime in seams; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
2Bk3--39 to 52 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; common secondary lime aggregates; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)
2Bk4--52 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; few spheroidal secondary lime aggregates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Washington; about 2 miles north of Warden; 2,530 feet north and 2,170 feet east of the northwest corner section 32, T. 18 N., R. 30 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 55 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches. Depth to calcium carbonate (calcic horizon) is 15 to 30 inches with 5 to 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. The solum has 2 to 8 percent clay and 0 to 6 percent fine gravel. Some pedons have a lime-silica indurated duripan at depths of 40 to 60 inches.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Texture is very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bw horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Texture is very fine sandy loam, silt loam, loamy very fine sand, or fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The 2Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is stratified silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. Some pedons have gravelly coarse sand or very gravelly coarse sand at depths of 40 to 60 inches. Reaction is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Adkins,
Atlanta,
Bertelson,
Briabbit,
Crestline,
Declo,
Eoyote,
Escalante,
Kecko,
Somsen, and
Strevell series.
Adkins soils calcium carbonate accumulation at a depth of 24 to 40 inches; do not have stratified 2Bk horizons with depths of 15 to 30 inches
Atlanta soils pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay and 15 to 35 percent rock fragments of limestone orign
Bertelson soils do not have a cambic horizon; pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay; do not have stratified 2Bk horizons
Briabbit soils 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact (tuff); 10 to 20 inches to calcic horizon
Crestline soils pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay and 15 to 35 percent gravel; 10 to 20 inches to calcic horizon
Declo soils pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay; 3 to 18 inches to calcic horizon; laminated sediments below depths of 25 to 40 inches
Eoyote soils pscs with 8 to 12 percent clay; 8 to 14 inches to calcic horizon
Escalante soils pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay and 0 to 35 percent gravel; calcic horizon with 15 to 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent
Kecko soils pscs with 10 to 18 percent clay; 20 to 40 inches to calcic horizon
Somsen soils 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact (basalt); pscs with 8 to 18 percent clay and 15 to 35 percent rock fragments; 7 to 16 inches to a calcic horizon
Strevell soils pscs with 10 to 15 percent clay and 5 to 30 percent rock fragments; 10 to 20 inches to a calcic horizon; 25 to 40 inches to a 2Bkz horizon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sagehill soils are on terraces and terrace escarpments at elevations of 300 to 1,300 feet in Washington and up to 2,600 feet in MLRA 11 in Oregon. Slopes are 0 to 60 percent. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits with a mantle of loess or eolian deposits. Sagehill soils occur in an arid climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches. The average January temperature is 27 degrees F. and the average July temperature is 71 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 50 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free season is 135 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hezel, Kennewick, Nyssa, Owyhee, Quincy, Royal, Sagemoor, Scooteney, Shano, and Warden soils. Hezel soils are on terraces and are coarse textured in the upper part of the particle-size control section. Kennewick soils are on terraces and lack a cambic horizon and are calcareous in all parts. Nyssa soils are on terraces and have a silt loam particle-size control section and have a duripan. Quincy soils are on dunes and are sandy. Owyhee soils have coarse-silty, laminated, slowly permeable, calcareous sediments at a depth of 15 to 30 inches. Sagemoor and Warden soils are on terraces and Shano soils are on hills. Sagemoor, Shano and Warden soils are coarse-silty. Royal soils lack a calcic horizon. Scooteney soils average 20 to 35 percent gravel in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for dryland wheat and rye production; livestock grazing and irrigated crop production. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Thurber needlegrass, needleandthread, Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Washington and eastern Oregon. MLRA 7, 11. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Malheur County, Oregon, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon the zone from 0 to 8 inches
Cambic horizon the zone from 8 to 19 inches
Calcic horizon the zone from 19 to 60 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the Bw, 2Bk1, 2Bk2 and part of the 2Bk3 horizons).