LOCATION ALGOMA OR
Established Series
Rev. JSC/AON/BTH/CEG
09/2025
ALGOMA SERIES
Landscape--intermontane basins
Landform--drained lake bottoms, flood plains, relict lakebeds
Slope--0 to 1 percent
Parent material--stratified lacustrine deposits consisting of diatoms, volcanic ash, and similar materials in the upper part and fine sand in the lower part
Mean annual precipitation--about 305 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 9 degrees C
Depth class--deep
Drainage class--poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, glassy over mixed, calcareous, mesic Aquandic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Algoma silt loam, irrigated pasture, on a nearly level slope at 1247 m elevation
Ap--0 to 28 cm; ashy silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium platy structure; friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many roots throughout; weakly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); abrupt smooth boundary.
Cg1--28 to 61 cm; ashy silt loam, white (N 8/0) dry, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak thin platy structure; firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; common fine masses of iron-manganese, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weakly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt smooth boundary.
Cg2--61 to 76 cm; ashy silt loam, white (N 8/0) dry, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; weak thin platy structure; firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; common medium masses of iron-manganese masses, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); abrupt smooth boundary.
2Cg3--76 to 86 cm; fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very friable; common roots throughout; many very fine pores; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual smooth boundary.
2Cg4--86 to 152 cm; fine sand, gray (10YR 6/1) dry, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; massive; very friable; common very fine roots throughout; many very fine pores; common medium masses of iron-manganese, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Klamath County, Oregon; about 13 km southwest of Klamath Falls, 640 m south and 210 m west of the NE corner of sec. 9, T. 40 S., R. 8E., Willamette Meridian; Hamaker Mountain, Oregon USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42.1058010 degrees north, longitude 121.8769990 degrees west, datum WGS84 (coordinates derived from topographic map legal description)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--8 to 11 degrees C
Moisture control section--30 to 90 cm; wet throughout in most months unless drained
Thickness of mollic epipedon--18 to 40 cm
Depth to lithologic discontinuity--50 to 100 cm
Depth to aquic conditions--0 to 25 cm
Depth to redoximorphic features--20 to 40 cm
Depth to high water table--0 to 25 cm
Some part of the mollic epipedon has more than 15 percent exchangeable sodium, decreasing at depths below 50 cm. It has an estimated 1/3-bar bulk density of 0.4 to 0.7 g/cm3.
The zone between 25 and 50 cm is calcareous in all parts.
The silty upper part (A and Cg horizons) of the soil has an exchange complex dominated by amorphous material.
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--5 to 25 percent
*Pararock fragment content--0 to 10 percent fine pumice paragravel
Estimated properties, A and Cg horizons
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe--0.2 to 0.4 percent
*Volcanic glass content--30 to 60 percent
*1/3-bar bulk density--0.6 to 1.10 g/cm3
*1500 kPa water (air-dried samples)--10 to 40 percent
A horizon
Hue-neutral, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry
Chroma--0 or 1, dry or moist
Fine-earth texture--ashy silt loam, ashy loam
Clay content--10 to 25 percent
Reaction--strongly alkaline (pH 8.5 to 9.0)
Thickness--20 to 40 cm
Cg horizons
Hue--neutral, 10YR, or 2.5Y dry or moist
Value--6 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma--0 to 2, dry or moist
Fine-earth texture--ashy silt loam, ashy loam
Clay content--10 to 25 percent
Pararock fragment content--0 to 2 percent pumice paragravels
Reaction--strongly alkaline (pH 8.5 to 9.0)
Thickness--12 to 40 cm
2Cg horizons
Hue--neutral, 10YR, or 2.5Y dry or moist
Value--6 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma--0 to 2, dry or moist
Fine-earth texture--ashy fine sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, loamy sand, fine sand, ashy sand, sand, ashy coarse sand
Clay content--0 to 25 percent
Pararock fragment content--0 to 10 percent pumice paragravels
Reaction--moderately to strongly alkaline (pH 7.9 to 9.0)
COMPETING SERIES:
There are no series in this family at this time.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1200 to 1350 m
Climate--cool, dry summers and cold, wet winters
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 11 degrees C
Mean January air temperature-- -3 to -2 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--18 to 21 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--250 to 600 mm
Frost-free period--50 to 110 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Henley--on low terraces above Algoma soils; 40 to 70 percent fine sand and coarser; lacks mollic epipedon; 50 to 100 cm to a duripan (moderately deep)
Teeters--on low terraces above Algoma soils; diatomaceous silt loam and silt textures throughout
Tulana--on low terraces above Algoma soils; noncalcareous throughout
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)-- moderately low to moderately high above the lithological discontinuity; high to very high below the lithological discontinuity
Ponding--frequent, long ponding December to May up to 30 cm deep
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--irrigated barley, pasture, alfalfa; wildlife habitat
Vegetation--unreclaimed, drained areas have a plant cover consisting mostly of alkali saltgrass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Klamath and Shasta Valleys and Basins, south-central Oregon and northern California; MLRA 21; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Klamath County, Oregon; 1977
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 100 cm
*Mollic epipedon--Ap horizon
*Aquic conditions--all horizons
*Endosaturation--all horizons
*Volcanic glass--Ap, Cg1, Cg2 horizons
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--76 cm
*Redoximorphic concentrations--Cg1, Cg2, 2Cg4 horizons
*Redoximorphic depletions (depleted matrix)--Cg1, Cg2, 2Cg3, 2Cg4 horizons
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS SITE ID--1985OR035001
NASIS PEDON ID--1985OR035001
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.