LOCATION STICES OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, frigid Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Stices gravelly ashy loam, woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
0i--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed needles, twigs and grass.
A--1 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly ashy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--4 to 13 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very gravelly ashy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium tubular pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bw2--13 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; many fine and few medium tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2C1--22 to 41 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
2C2--41 to 60 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly ashy loamy sand; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon; located about 1 3/4 miles west of Dooley Mt. summit in the SE1/4SE1/4NE1/4 sec. 31, T. 11 S., R. 40 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is typically over 60 inches. The surface has 0 to 5 percent stones and cobbles. The thickness of the volcanic ash mantle having andic soil properties is 14 to 30 inches. The upper part of the particle-size control section contains 60 to 80 percent glass and glass-coated aggregate and 0.4 to 1.0 percent acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron. The lower part contains 30 to 40 percent glass and glass-coated aggregate and less than 0.4 percent acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron. The 15-bar moisture is 8 to 12 percent on dried samples throughout.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist and 3 to 5 dry. It has 15 to 30 percent gravel.
The Bw horizon has value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist, 3 or 4 dry. It has 20 to 50 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones. Field estimated clay is 10 to 20 percent. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The 2C horizon has value of 5 or 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It has 40 to 70 percent gravel, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones. Field estimated clay is 5 to 15 percent. The fine earth texture is ashy sandy loam or ashy loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Doe (T),
Grenet,
Kusu,
Natkim,
Pettijohn,
Roundknoll,
Twelvemile, and
Yallani series.
Doe series dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice; 20 to 35 inches deep to sandy-skeletal substratum.
Grenet series 20 to 40 inches deep to paralithic contact (tuff)
Kusu series 40 to 60 inches deep to lithic contact (fractured tuff); 50 to 65 percent volcanic glass throughout
Natkim series particle-size control section dominated by rounded rock fragments of glacial till origin mixed with minor amounts of colluvium from andesite and basalt in upper part.
Pettijohn series - dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice; 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass in upper 30 to 45 inch ash mantle
Roundknoll series - dry for 100 to 120 consecutive days following the summer solstice; 10 to 20 inches deep to calcium carbonate
Twelvemile series - dry for 60 to 100 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Yallani series - dry for more than 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice; 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass in the particle-size control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stices soils are on north and east-facing slopes and ridge tops of mountain slopes. Elevations are 4,000 to 6,000 feet. Slopes are 35 to 80 percent. The soil formed in colluvium from rhyolite and andesite with volcanic ash surface layers. The climate is characterized by cold wet winters and hot dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 35 inches. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anatone, Crackler, Inkler, Segundo, and Tolo series. Anatone soils are less than 20 inches deep. Crackler soils are ashy over loamy-skeletal. Inkler soils are loamy-skeletal and have a volcanic ash influenced surface. Segundo soils are loamy-skeletal without a volcanic ash influenced surface and are on south slopes. Tolo soils are ashy over loamy and are mapped in complex with Stices on gentle slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for woodland, watershed, and wildlife. The native vegetation is grand fir, Douglas fir, larch, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine. The understory vegetation is mainly elk sedge, princes pine, myrtle pachystima, pyrola, heartleaf arnica, and big huckleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Oregon; MLRA 43. The soils of this series are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baker County Area, Oregon, 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Andic properties - from 1 to 22 inches meeting the criteria for andic properties (2a).
Particle-size control section - from 1 to 41 inches with the upper part (A, Bw1, Bw2) meeting andic properties and less than 12 percent 15-bar moisture (dried sample) and the lower part (2C1) having more than 30 percent glass and less than 12 percent 15-bar moisture. The zone from 1 to 4 inches qualifies for ashy; the zone from 4 to 60 inches qualifies as ashy-skeletal. The ashy-skeletal class is based on the thickest part of the particle-size control section.
Cambic horizon - the zone from 4 to 22 inches. (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon - the A horizon that is too thin to be mollic.
Classification revised 7/04 based on error in placement of family particle-size class into contrasting ashy-skeletal over loamy-skeletal. With greater than 30 percent volcanic glass throughout, a contrasting class is not possible.