LOCATION ATHENA OR+ID WA
Established Series
Rev. SHB/SBC
05/2017
ATHENA SERIES
Landscape--Columbia basalt plateau
Landform--canyonsides, loess hills
Slope--0 to 70 percent
Parent material--silty loess mixed with some volcanic ash in upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 430 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 10 degrees C
Depth class--deep, very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Athena silt loam, cultivated
Ap--0 to 20 cm; silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine and very fine irregular pores; lower 6 mm is firm, platy, and dense plowpan; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary
A1--20 to 38 centimeters; silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary
A2--38 to 66 cm; silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual wavy boundary
Bw1--66 to 99 centimeters; silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary
Bw2--99 to 117 centimeters; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt wavy boundary
Bk1--117 to 135 centimeters; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine pores; few dark gray medium and coarse sand particles; slightly effervescent with few lime veins and coatings around root channels; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary
Bk2--135 to 165 centimeters; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine pores; few coarse and very coarse sand particles; intermittent slight effervescence with segregated lime; moderately alkaline (pH 8.1); abrupt smooth boundary
2R--165 centimeters; indurated basalt
TYPE LOCATION: Umatilla County, Oregon, about 4 km southeast of Athena, on the Crow Field Pendleton Branch Experiment Station; about 730 m north and 475 m west of the southeast corner of section 28, T. 4 N., R. 35 E.; Athena, Oregon, U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle; latitude 45.7966600, longitude -118.4418000, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon--50 to 100 cm
Thickness of solum--90 to 140 cm
Depth to secondary carbonates--more than 110 cm (absent in some pedons)
Depth to bedrock--more than 100 cm, but commonly more than 150 cm
Content of clay in particle-size control section--18 to 27 percent
Average annual soil temperature--8 to 12 degrees C
Moisture control section--dry 45 to 90 days in July through September after summer solstice; moist in October through June
Ap horizon
Thickness--10 to 23 cm
A horizon
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 to 3 moist or dry
Texture--silt loam
Structure--granular, platy, subangular blocky
Reaction--5.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness--10 to 53 cm
Bw horizon, or Bt horizon (where present)
Value--4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Structure--subangular blocky, prismatic
Content of clay--18 to 27 percent; does not meet increase criteria for argillic horizon
Content of rock fragments--0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness--40 to 100 cm
Bk horizon (where present)
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
Value--5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Structure--subangular blocky, prismatic
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Content of rock fragments--0 to 5 percent gravel
Combined thickness--0 to 75 cm
2R horizon
Present in some areas
COMPETING SERIES:
La Grande--redoximorphic depletions and concentrations in cambic horizon; saturated above a depth of 100 cm in spring, unless drained
Tucannon--50 to 100 cm deep to bedrock
Wingville--redoximorphic concentrations in part of mollic epipedon; calcareous with reaction of 5.6 to 6.5 in part of mollic epipedon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--455 to 915 m
Climate--temperate; hot, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--380 to 635 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -1 degree C
Mean July air temperature--20 to 23 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 11 degrees C
Frost-free season--110 to 190 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Cheney--contrasting textures at a depth of less than 100 cm; on outwash terraces
Gwin--less than 50 cm deep to lithic contact of basalt; on south-facing, convex summits, shoulders, and backslopes of basalt plateaus
Palouse--base saturation of less than 75 percent in some part of upper 75 cm; on footslopes of loess hills
Reardan--average more than 35 percent clay in particle-size control section; on summits and shoulders of loess hills
Thatuna--albic and argillic horizons; on north-facing backslopes of loess hills
Tucannon--50 to 100 cm to lithic contact of basalt; on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of basalt plateaus
Walla Walla--mollic epipedon less than 50 cm thick; on loess hills in drier part of MLRA 9
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--cultivated crops, dominantly nonirrigated wheat, barley, and peas; hay and pasture
Native vegetation--bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, balsamroot, western yarrow, wild rose and other small shrubs on north-facing slopes and in areas of higher precipitation and cooler air temperatures
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and north-central Idaho; MLRA 9; extensive
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Patit Creek Area, Columbia County, Washington; 1939
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 0 to 66 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 66 to 117 cm; Bw1 horizon does not meet organic carbon criteria for mollic epipedon based on associated laboratory data for pedon
*Identifiable secondary carbonates--zone from 117 to 165 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 100 cm
5/20/2015--This official series description (OSD) was updated as part of a soil data join recorrelation project. The mean annual air temperature was lowered to 7 degrees C, and the mean annual soil temperature was lowered to 8 degrees.
Further MLRA 9-wide investigation is needed to:
*Determine the extent and influence of the volcanic ash.
*Consider moving current type location to another location that meets the criteria for the fine-silty taxonomic family particle size. The current location has Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL) data associated with it that meets the criteria for the coarse-silty family particle size.
*Evaluate ecological site descriptions (ESD) correlated to Athena soil components throughout the MLRA. Initial and historical ESDs correlated to Athena soils have a narrower climatic (precipitation) range than those currently correlated to Athena soils. The current ESDs have a broad precipitation range, such as 405 to 610 mm.
*Correlate Athena soil components that are deep (100 to 150 cm) to a lithic contact.
*Evaluate eroded phases of Athena soils.
9/15/2015--The Athena series is mapped dominantly as very deep. It is mapped as deep only in Columbia and Garfield Counties of Washington State. These deep Athena soils should be investigated for potential correlation to other existing series.
6/2016--This OSD was updated as part of the final correlation of the Spokane County, Washington, soil survey. The formatting was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Complete Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory (KSSL) characterization--40A0952
Additional complete and partial KSSL data--86P0063, 86P0064, 86P0078, 40A1026, 40A1020
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.