LOCATION WATERBURY OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Lithic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Waterbury extremely stony silty clay loam, rangeland; on a 40 percent slope at 4,320 foot elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) extremely stony silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent stones, 30 percent cobbles, and 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--4 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) extremely cobbly clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many fine continuous pores; many faint clay films in pores; 20 percent stones, 40 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--11 to 15 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) extremely cobbly clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many fine continuous pores; many faint clay films in pores; 10 percent stones, 40 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 4 to 14 inches.)
2R--15 inches; basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon; located about 2 miles northeast of the junction of Highways 26 and 19; 2,000 feet south and 2,000 feet west of the northeast corner of section 4, T.12S., R.26E Latitude 44 degrees, 33 minutes, and 35 seconds N. and Longitude 119 degrees, 35 minutes, and 54 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist but are dry for 80 to 100 consecutive days in all parts of the moisture control section during the four-month period following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. Depth to bedrock ranges from 12 to 20 inches. The particle-size control section averages 50 to 60 percent clay and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments. Rock fragments are mainly basalt stones and cobbles with some gravel size volcanic tuff fragments. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 15 inches thick and includes all or part of the argillic horizon.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 1 to 3 moist and dry. It is loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay and contains 10 to 45 percent stones, 10 to 35 percent cobbles, and 5 to 20 percent gravel.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 1 to 4 moist and dry. It is clay with 50 to 60 percent clay. It has 15 to 50 percent stones, 10 to 40 percent cobbles, and 5 to 20 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Camaspatch, Flatron, Gwinly, Laufer, Longcreek, Loomer, Lorella, Pioche, adec, Ruckles, and Vantage series. Camaspatch soils are dry for 90 to 105 days and have 35 to 50 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Flatron soils have aridic soil moisture regimes and are mildly alkaline in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Gwinly soils are dry for 60 to 80 consecutive days. Laufer soils have 35 to 40 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Longcreek, Loomer, Pioche, Ruckles, and Vantage soils have aridic soil moisture regimes. Lorella soils have 35 to 50 percent clay in the particle-size control section, and dry for 90 to 120 days. Radec soils have 35 to 50 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Waterbury soils are on plateaus, benches and shoulders of hills at elevations of 1,800 to 4,600 feet. Slopes range from 2 to 80 percent. At the higher elevations these soils are only on south-facing slopes. The soils formed in mixed colluvium weathered mainly from basic igneous (basalt) and tuff overlying basalt bedrock. The climate is characterized by cool wet winters and hot dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F. The mean July temperature is about 67 degrees F., and the mean January temperature is about 30 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fopiano, Gwin, Prill, Rockly and Ukiah soils. Fopiano soils are on adjacent north-facing slopes and have mean annual soil temperatures lower than 47 degrees F. Gwin and Rockly soils have less than 35 percent clay in their control sections and are on adjacent hill summits and south-facing slopes. Ukiah and Prill soils are deeper than 20 inches to bedrock and have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are on broad plateaus.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used mainly for livestock grazing. Native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, low sage, and antelope bitterbrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Plateaus of east-central and northeastern Oregon; MLRA 10. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grant County, Oregon, Central Part, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - from 0 to 15 inches (A and Bt horizons)
Particle-size control section - from 4 to 15 inches (Bt horizon)
Lithic feature - bedrock at 15 inches (2R contact)