LOCATION CASEBEER ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, frigid, shallow Typic Durixeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Casebeer very cobbly loam--on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 4,930 feet--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. The soil was dry throughout when it was described on November 5, 1997.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common fine and common medium vesicular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
A2--2 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) cobbly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, common fine, and few medium roots; common fine and common medium vesicular pores; 10 percent pebbles and 7 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 8 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, few fine, and few medium roots; common fine and common medium tubular pores; common faint and few distinct clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--8 to 12 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/3) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; few fine and few medium tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt3--12 to 14 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bqm1--14 to 26 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) duripan, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; strong thick platy structure; very rigid; indurated by secondary silica; widely spaced fractures in the upper inch; thin laminar caps of opal on tops of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bqm2--26 to 35 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) duripan, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium platy structure; very hard, extremely firm; moderately cemented by secondary silica; thin laminar caps of opal on tops of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
R--35 inches; hard vesicular basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Klamath County, Oregon; about 1 mile northeast of Round Valley Reservoir, 0.5 mile north of the junction of the CCC Road with the Round Valley Road, and 50 feet west of the CCC Road; 2,450 feet north and 250 feet west of the southeast corner of section 33, T. 39 S., R. 14 E.; USGS Gerber Reservoir 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees 08 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 121 degrees 03 minutes 24 seconds west longitude, NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually moist in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; xeric moisture regime that borders on aridic.
Mean annual soil temperature - 45 to 47 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 59 to 61 degrees F.
Argillic horizon thickness - 6 to 15 inches.
Depth to base of argillic horizon - 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to duripan - 10 to 20 inches.
Duripan thickness - 2 to 24 inches.
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent; Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent, mainly pebbles and cobbles. Lithology of fragments is basalt.
Reaction - Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Other features - Some pedons have Btq horizons.
A1 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry, 2 through 4 moist.
Texture: Very cobbly loam, extremely cobbly loam, or very stony loam.
Clay content: 22 to 27 percent.
Rock fragments: 40 to 65 percent.
A2 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Cobbly clay loam or very cobbly clay loam.
Clay content: 28 to 36 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 40 percent.
Bt1 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam, clay, cobbly clay loam, or cobbly clay.
Clay content: 34 to 44 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent.
Bt2 horizon - Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Texture: Clay loam, clay, or cobbly clay.
Clay content: 38 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent.
Bt3 horizon - Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay or cobbly clay.
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent.
Bqm horizons - Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 7 moist.
Chroma: 3 through 6, dry or moist.
Cementation: Indurated or very strongly cemented in Bqm1 horizon, strongly cemented or moderately cemented in Bqm2 horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: At present, there are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Casebeer soils are on plateaus. They typically occur on summit positions. These soils formed in volcanic ash derived from dacite and residuum derived from basalt. Slopes are 0 to 6 percent. Elevations range from 4,700 to 5,400 feet. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F., mean January temperature is 25 to 28 degrees F., and the mean July temperature is 56 to 60 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devaul, Dranket, Norcross, and Pankeybasin soils. Devaul soils are loamy-skeletal, deep to paralithic contacts, and have mollic epipedons. Dranket soils are fine, moderately deep to thin duripans over lithic contacts, and have mollic epipedons. Norcross soils are clayey, shallow to thin duripans over lithic contacts, and have mollic epipedons. Pankeybasin soils are fine, moderately deep to thick duripans, have mollic epipedons, and have argillic horizons with abrupt increases in clay content.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Casebeer soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. The native vegetation is mainly Sandberg's bluegrass with minor amounts of Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, and low sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 21.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES PROPOSED: Klamath County (Gerber Block of Fremont National Forest Area), Oregon 1998. The name is from a spring in the area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 5 to 14 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 14 to 35 inches (Bqm1 and Bqm2 horizons).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 35 inches to underlying hard bedrock (R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from the soil surface to 14 inches (A1, A2, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).