LOCATION TELEMON OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Palehumults
TYPICAL PEDON: Telemon gravelly clay loam, on a south southwest-facing slope of 28 percent under a coniferous forest at an elevation of 3,530 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--1 to 0 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves and twigs.
A--0 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine and common fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
BAt--8 to 12 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
2Btg1--12 to 16 inches; mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and light olive gray (5Y 6/2) clay, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and light gray (5Y 7/1) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common slickensides; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
2Btg2--16 to 22 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) clay, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; many fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few slickensides; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
2Btg3--22 to 28 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/4) clay, pale olive (5Y 6/3) dry; many fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces peds and lining pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Btg4--28 to 37 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct and few prominent clay films on faces peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
2Btg5--37 to 48 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/4) clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (11 to 14 inches thick)
2Ctg---48 to 60 inches; olive yellow (5Y 6/6) clay loam, pale olive (5Y 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Oregon; 1 mile west of Deadman Mountain; 2,730 feet east and 2,890 feet north of the SW corner of section 32, T. 28 S., R. 2 W., W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum commonly is 40 to 60 inches but is more than 60 inches in some pedons. The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 47 degrees F., the mean summer temperature is greater than 47 degrees F. The soil is usually moist and is dry between 4 and 12 inches for less than 45 consecutive days during the summer. Depth to mottles having chroma of 2 or less (redox depletions) is 10 to 20 inches. The upper square meter of the mineral soil contains 12 to 18 kilograms of organic carbon.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist. Rock fragments range from 15 to 30 percent gravel. It has 4 to 8 percent organic matter.
The 2Btg horizon has matrix hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 moist and 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and 1 through 4 dry. It is clay, silty clay or clay loam with 35 to 55 percent clay. Rock fragments range from 0 to 10 percent gravel. Base saturation is 15 to 35 percent by sum of bases throughout. It has 0.5 to 3.0 percent organic matter decreasing with depth.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Telemon soils are on benches and mountain side slopes. Elevation ranges from 3,000 to 4,400 feet. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived dominantly from ash-flow tuffs. Slopes range from 3 to 60 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 50 to 70 inches. The frost-free season is less than 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Illahee, Lempira and Thistleburn soils. These soils are all well drained. Illahee soils are loamy-skeletal and Lempira soils are medial.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly and moderately well drained; slow to medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, wildlife habitat, and watershed. The native vegetation includes western hemlock, Douglas-fir, and grand fir. The understory consists mainly of Pacific rhododendron, salal, western swordfern, cascade Oregon grape, common beargrass and American twinflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Cascades of southern Oregon; MLRA 3. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Oregon, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - the zone from approximately 0 to 12 inches. (A and BAt horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 8 to 48 inches. (BAt, 2Btg1, 2Btg2, 2Btg3, 2Btg4, 2Btg5 horizons.)
Aquic feature - occurrence of a subhorizon (2Btg1) that has mottles with chroma of 2 or less (redox depletions) within the upper 25 cm of the argillic horizon.
Mixed mineralogy - estimated from previous field experience.
Palehumult placement based on the laboratory data from the associated Thistleburn Series.