LOCATION MORFITT OR
Established Series
Rev. BBL/AON/TDT
04/2011
MORFITT SERIES
The Morfitt series consists of very deep, well drained and moderately well drained soils on alluvial fans and in basins. They formed in alluvium. Slopes are 0 to 25 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 10 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Morfitt loam, range. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 5 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate thin platy structure; soft, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.9); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic parting to moderate fine blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; many very fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--13 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic parting to moderate fine blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; common very fine tubular pores; continuous faint clay films on peds and in root channels; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--26 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic and weak fine blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 14 to 36 inches)
C1--34 to 46 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic few roots; few very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C2--46 to 54 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; slightly calcareous with disseminated lime; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C3--54 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic, few roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7).
TYPE LOCATION: Malheur County, Oregon; about 2,000 feet east and 1,800 feet north of section corner in the S1/2 NE1/4 NE1/4 section 18, T. 14 S., R. 42 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 50 degrees F. Morfitt soils are usually dry but are moist in some parts between depths of 4 to 12 inches for a continuous period equal to more than one quarter of the time that the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F., and moist between depths of 4 to 12 inches for at least 60 days out of the 120 days following the winter solstice and are dry for 60 consecutive days or more between 4 and 12 inches within the three month period following the summer solstice. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Depth to lime is 40 to over 60 inches. The amount of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 5 percent throughout the profile.
The A horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It is neutral through moderately alkaline.
A BA horizon is present in some pedons and has color similar to the A horizon. It is loam with 20 to 27 percent clay.
The Bt horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loam clay loam or silty clay loam with 25 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. Clay films are few to continuous and faint to distinct.. It is neutral through moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It is loam or clay loam with 25 to 35 percent clay and 0 to 5 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Abgese,
Ackley,
Blacknest,
Bluelight,
Colbar,
Eusbio,
Greenbrae,
Hardtrigger,
Harsan,
Hoosegow,
Hoye,
Lankbush,
Nosser,
Shawave,
Sidlake,
Stiles,
Turria, and
Windypoint series. Abgese soils have carbonates at 14 to 24 inches and average 15 to 35 percent gravel in the particle-size control section. Ackley soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 50 to 53 degrees F. and carbonates at 25 to 50 inches. Blacknest soils have sand and gravel at 20 to 40 inches. Bluelight soils have bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Colbar soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Eusbio soils are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Greenbrae soils developed in material from granitic rocks and contain a high percentage of medium and coarser sand. Hardtrigger soils have carbonates at 10 to 27 inches. Harsan soils have a duripan of 40 to 60 inches and a mean annual soil temperature of 50 to 54 degrees F. Hoye soils have carbonates at 10 to 20 inches. Lankbush soils developed in material from granitic rock and have over 40 percent medium sand or coarser in the particle-size control section. Nosser soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Shawave soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 53 to 56 degrees F. Sidlake soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Turria soils have carbonates at 30 to 40 inches and a solum that is 12 to 20 inches thick. Windypoint soils have carbonates at 12 to 18 inches and sand and gravel at 25 to 40 inches. Hoosegow soils have clay content of 20 to 27 percent clay in the argillic horizon with a clay content of less than 15 percent below the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Morfitt soils are on alluvial fans and in basins at elevations of 2,600 to 4,840 feet. The soils are mostly on slopes of 0 to 25 percent. These soils formed in mixed alluvium weathered from argillites, shales and reworked older terrace sediments. The climate is semiarid with a mean annual precipitation of 8 to 12 inches. Mean July temperature is about 68 to 72 degrees F. Mean winter temperature is about 26 to 30 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is about 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Virtue and
Gacey soils. These soils both have duripans and the Gacey is stony throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability. Some areas are subject to rare or occasional ponding in the spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: The principal use is for livestock grazing. Vegetation consists of creeping wildrye, basin big sagebrush and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Malheur County and northwestern Harney County, Oregon; MLRA 10 and 23. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harney County, Oregon, 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are
Ochric epipedon.
Argillic horizon from 5 to 34 inches.
The series type location needs to be reviewed and verified. The location as described has not changed since the original initial review draft in 1959.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.