LOCATION BALM OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Fluvaquentic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Balm loam, pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular and interstitial pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary.
A2--2 to 12 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine to large tubular pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 3 to 20 inches)
AC--12 to 17 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; common fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; few large pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
C1--17 to 23 inches; dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; many coarse distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) mottles; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few roots; few medium pores; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
C2--23 to 30 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) fine sandy loam, gray (5Y 5/1) dry; single grain; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the C horizon is 3 to 16 inches)
2C3--30 to 60 inches; multicolored very gravelly sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic.
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon; 2 miles SW of Richland; 900 feet east and 200 feet south of the NW corner, sec. 35, T. 9 S., R. 45 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. The soil has aquic conditions present between depths of 12 and 24 inches with chromas of 2 or less and accompanying redox concentrations. The soil is calcareous down to the fluctuating ground water table. Depth to the contrasting 2C horizon is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist and 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry. It is very fine sandy loam, loam, or gravelly loam with 0 to 25 percent gravel.
The AC horizon has value of 3 moist and 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It is very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. It has 0 to 15 percent gravel.
The C horizon has hue of 5Y to 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 0 to 2 moist and 1 to 3 dry. It has common to many fine to coarse redox concentrations. It is fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam. It has 0 to 15 percent gravel. Soil reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The 2C horizon is very gravelly sand or loamy sand. It has 35 to 60 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles. Total rock fragments average 35 to 60 percent. Soil reaction is neutral to mildly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Chamokane series. Chamokane soils are noncalcareous.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Balm soils are on flood plains. Slope is 0 to 3 percent. Elevations range from 2,000 to 3,400 feet. The soils have formed in stratified mixed alluvium weathered from quartz diorite, basalt and limestone. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 17 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Boyce, Baldock, Wingville and Yakima soils. All of these soils are on similar topographic positions as Balm. Boyce soils are fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal and are poorly drained. Baldock soils are fine-loamy, poorly drained and calcareous. Wingville soils are fine-silty, somewhat poorly drained and calcareous. Yakima soils are well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; permeability is moderate above the contrasting 2C horizon and rapid to very rapid below. A water table is at 1 to 2 feet from January through June and has rare flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soils are used for hay and pasture. The native vegetation is bluegrass, sedges, rushes, and willows.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Powder River, Burnt River, and Wallowa River drainages of eastern Oregon; MLRA 9,10. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baker Area, Baker County, Oregon, 1942.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 17 inches (A1, A2, and AC horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
Fluvaquentic feature - the zone from 17 to 23 inches (C1 horizon) having chroma of 2 or less with associated redox concentrations. Irregular decrease of organic carbon is assumed.
Aquic conditions are the result of endosaturation.