LOCATION FREMKLE OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Lithic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Fremkle ashy sandy loam - rangeland, on a nearly level plateau at 3000 feet elevation. (When described (8/13/85), soil was dry throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed litter of ponderosa pine and western juniper needles and twigs.
A1--1 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary.
A2--4 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many fine and medium vesicular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 20 inches).
2R--15 inches; fractured tuff.
TYPE LOCATION: Deschutes County, Oregon; 200 feet east and 300 feet south of the northwest corner of section 8, T. 14 S., R. 11 E. (Latitude 44 degrees, 22 minutes, 28 seconds N, Longitude 121 degrees, 27 minutes, 00 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTIC: These soils are intermittently moist and are dry in all parts of the soil moisture control section for 90 to 110 consecutive days. The mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. The solum contains 50 to 80 percent volcanic glass and glass-coated aggregates. Depth to bedrock is 10 to 20 inches. Reaction is neutral throughout. Phosphate retention is 40 to 70 percent. The acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate extractable iron is 0.40 to 1.0 percent. Field estimated clay content is 5 to 15 percent throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and 3 dry. It contains 5 to 15 percent gravel. Organic matter content is typically less than 1 percent below a depth of 12 inches. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 12 inches thick.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Fremkle soils are on volcanic uplands and erosional plateaus. Elevations are 2,800 to 4,000 feet. These soils formed in ash over bedrock. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 12 to 18 inches, falling mostly as snow. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free period is 60 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fryrear, Henkle, Laidlaw, and Wanoga soils. Fryrear and Wanoga soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Laidlaw soils are deep to bedrock. Henkle soils are ashy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Potential native vegetation is western juniper, ponderosa pine, and Idaho fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Footslopes and plateaus of the eastern Cascades in central Oregon; MLRA 6. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deschutes County (Upper Deschutes River Area), Oregon, 1992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in the pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from the mineral soil surface to about 10 inches (A1, part of the A2).
Andic soil properties - Based on laboratory data from the associated Wanoga Series; S860R-017-001. P-retention is about 60 percent. The glass and glass-coated aggregate in the very fine sand fraction is about 70 percent. Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate iron is about 0.45 percent. The 15-bar water on both dried and undried samples is less than 10 percent.
Ash deposit is from Mt. Mazama.