LOCATION BABALA                  OR

Tentative Series
Rev. SBF/ARR/TM
02/2018

BABALA SERIES

The Babala series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in mixed volcanic ash and loess over residuum weathered from basalt. The Babala soils are on lava plateaus. Slope ranges from 2 to 15 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 300 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vitritorrandic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Babala ashy silt loam at an elevation of 1,420 meters, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 9 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 6 to 20 cm)

A2--9 to 17 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine, medium and very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary.

AB--17 to 27 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine, medium and very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 21 cm thick)

Bt1--27 to 35 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent faint clay films on all faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 32 cm thick)

Bt2--35 to 56 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; strong medium and fine angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic; common fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 15 percent faint clay films on all faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 38 cm thick)

Bkqm1--56 to 89 cm; cemented material; very pale brown (10YR 7/3); massive; very hard, extremely firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; moderately cemented by secondary silica and calcium carbonates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bkqm horizons is 20 to 105 cm)

Bkqm2--89 to 160 cm; cemented material; massive; extremely hard, slightly rigid, strongly cemented by secondary silica and calcium carbonates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2) abrupt, wavy boundary.

R--160 cm; indurated basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Malheur County, Oregon; approximately 11 miles south of the Antelope Reservoir campground; about 1,100 feet south and 50 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 12, T. 32 S., R. 44E.; USGS Little Grassy Mountain 7.5 minute quadrangle, latitude 42 degrees 47 minutes 10 seconds north and longitude 117 degrees 15 minutes 14 seconds west; WGS84 Decimal Degrees 42.7861111 latitude, -117.2538889 longitude.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - The soil moisture control section is dry throughout in summer and fall and moist in winter and spring; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Soil Temperature - 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 25 to 50 cm, includes the upper part of the argillic horizon.
Depth to Duripan - 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to Bedrock - 56 to 160 cm.
Control section - Clay content - 40 to 55 percent.
Rock Fragments - 0 to 35 percent.

A horizons -
Value: 3 to 5 dry.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 20 to 40 percent of the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction.

AB horizon -
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy silt loam, ashy clay loam.
Clay content: 18 to 32 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 35 percent, mainly gravel and cobbles.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 10 to 30 percent of the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction.

Bt horizons -
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist.
Texture: Clay, clay loam, silty clay loam.
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 0 to 35 percent, mainly gravel.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through moderately alkaline.
Other features: Some pedons have thin subhorizons that contain 3 to 5 percent carbonate concentrations and are slightly effervescent.

Bkqm horizons -
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry, 3 to 6 moist.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through moderately alkaline.
Cementation: moderately cemented to strongly cemented.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing soils.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Babala soils are on lava plateaus. These soils formed in mixed volcanic ash and loess over residuum weathered from basalt. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,400 to 1,430 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 280 to 330 mm; mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Littlegrass and Drice soils. The Littlegrass soils are greater than 100 cm to paralithic contacts and the Drice soils do not have duripans.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained, very high runoff, slow and very slow permeability, moderately low saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly basin big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Oregon; the soil is of moderate extent. MLRA 25.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES PROPOSED: Malheur County, Oregon, Southern Part, 2008.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 27 cm (A and AB horizons).

Argillic horizon - The zone from about 27 cm to 56 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

Vitritorrandic feature - Volcanic glass is 20 to 40 percent of the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction in the zone from 0 to 17 cm (A horizons) and 10 to 30 percent of the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction in the zone from 17 to 27 cm (AB horizon).

Particle-size control section - The zone from 27 cm to 56 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.