LOCATION ALGOMA OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, glassy over mixed, calcareous, mesic Aquandic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Algoma silt loam, irrigation pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium platy structure; friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many roots; many very fine pores; weakly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
C1--11 to 24 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam, white (N 8/) dry; common fine olive brown mottles; weak thin platy structure; firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many roots; common very fine tubular pores; weakly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
C2--24 to 30 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) silt loam, white (N 8/) moist; common medium light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) mottles; weak thin platy structure; firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common roots; common very fine tubular pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
IIC3--30 to 34 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; massive very friable; common roots; many very fine pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
IIC4--34 to 60 inches; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) fine sand, light gray (10YR 6/1) dry; common medium olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) mottles; massive; very friable; common very fine roots; many very fine pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Klamath County, Oregon; about 8 miles southwest of Klamath Falls; 2,100 feet south and 700 feet west of the NE corner section 9, T.40S., R.8E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 degrees to 51 degrees F. The soils are wet throughout in most months unless drained. Some part of the mollic epipedon has more than 15 percent exchangeable sodium, decreasing at depth below 20 inches. The section between depths of 10 and 20 inches is calcareous in all parts. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 15 inches thick and has estimated bulk density from 0.4 to 0.7 gm/cc. The silty upper part of the soil has an exchange complex dominated by amorphous material. Depth to the sandy IIC horizon ranges from 20 to 40 inches.
The A horizon has hue of neutral or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 0 or 1 moist and dry.
The C horizon has hue of neutral or 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 3 through 6 moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 0 through 2 moist and dry. It commonly is mottled or has neutral hue.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cocolalla, Conboy, Cummings, Teeters, Tisch, and Tulana series in similar families. Cocolalla, Conboy, Tisch and Tulana soils lack contrasting textures and are noncalcareous throughout. Cummings soils predominantly are silty clay loam in the control section, lack contrasting textures, and have frigid soil temperature. Teeters soils lack the contrasting sandy C horizons to depth over 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Algoma soils are on drained lake bottoms and flood plains at elevations of 4,085 to 4,150 feet. Slope is less than 1 percent. The soils formed in recent lake sediments consisting of diatoms, ash and similar materials in the upper part and fine sand in the lower part. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 14 inches. the mean January temperature is 27 degrees to 29 degrees F., the mean July temperature is 65 degrees to 69 degrees F., and mean annual temperature is 46 degrees to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Henley soils and the competing Teeters and Tulana soils. Henley soils have 40 to 70 percent fine sand and coarser, lack mollic epipedons and have duripans at depths of 20 to 40 inches. They are on low terraces above Algoma soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability through the silty upper part of the soil and moderately rapid through the sandy lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Algoma soils are used for irrigated barley, pasture, alfalfa, and wildlife habitat. Unreclaimed, drained areas have a plant cover consisting mostly of alkali saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Drained lakes and marshes in south-central Oregon and adjoining parts of northern California. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Klamath County, Oregon, 1977