LOCATION BALD OREstablished Series
SOIL FAMILY: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bald cobbly loam, grass and woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise note.)
01--1/2 inch to 0; oak leaves, pine twigs and needles.
A1--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) cobbly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 15 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B21--6 to 12 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) extremely cobbly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches)
B22--12 to 20 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) extremely cobbly loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 40 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
B23--20 to 36 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular structure;l slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles, 50 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
IIR--36 inches, basalt, partially fractured.
TYPE LOCATION: Hood River County, Oregon; 30 feet north of Middle Mountain Road in the NE1/4 NE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 16, T.1N., R.10E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: In most years the soil is usually moist but is dry between depts of 4 and 12 inches for more than 45 consecutive days within the period following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 50 degrees to 55 degrees F. The thickness of the sola and depth to bedrock range from 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments range from 20 to 60 percent in the A horizons and 35 to 80 percent in the B horizons, and dominantly are pebbles and cobbles. The solum ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. It has weak, fine or medium, subangular blocky structure.
The B horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. It is loam or light clay loam and has more than 35 percent cobbles and pebbles. This horizon has weak or moderate, medium subangular blocky structure.
The underlying bedrock is basalt that may be partially fractured with thin tongue of soil material in the fractures.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Briedwell, Lenz, Rockford, Takilma and Tyson series. All of these soils except Tyson soils have bedrock deeper than 40 inches. Also, Rockford soils dominantly have rock fragments larger than 10 inches in diameter. Tyson soils have hue of 10YR of 2.5Y and are underlain by metamorphosed and unmetamorphosed shale and sandstone.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bald soils are on moderately steep to very steep generally south-facing slopes at elevations of 200 to 3,000 feet. Slope gradients range from 5 to 75 percent. The soils formed in mixed loess, volcanic ash and colluvium weathered from basalt over basalt bedrock. Mean annual precipitation is 20 to 40 inches.; The mean annual temperature ranges from 48 degrees to 51 degrees F., and mean January temperature is about 31 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is about 69 degrees F. The frost-free season (32 degrees ) is 100 to 140 days and (28 degrees F.) 140 to 180 days.
ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bodell, Culberton, and Wamic soils. Bodell soils are 12 to 20 inches deep to basalt. Culberton soils are fine-loamy, and more than 40 inches deep to bedrock, and are extremely hard or very hard IIC horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Range. Vegetation is mainly oak, Douglas-fir and bunchgrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Uplands of north-central Oregon. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wasco County, Oregon, l975.
REMARKS: Bald soils were formerly classified as Brunizems.