LOCATION BLER OR
Established Series
IRD. JLW/RJO/DAL/KMS
11/2018
BLER SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain slopes
Slope--0 to 60 percent
Parent material--thin mantle of mixed volcanic ash and loess over colluvium and residuum derived from soft tuffaceous sediment
Mean annual precipitation--about 760 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--moderately deep to paralithic bedrock
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Vitrandic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bler ashy silt loam in an area of woodland, on a 25-percent, north-facing slope at an elevation of 1300 m
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs
A1--3 to 13 cm; ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 3 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary
A2--13 to 38 cm; ashy silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 3 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary
2Eb--38 to 58 cm; gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary
2Btb--58 to 76 cm; extremely cobbly clay, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; few very fine and fine roots along ped faces; few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear irregular boundary
2Cr--76 to 97 cm; soft tuffaceous rock
TYPE LOCATION: Union County, Oregon; in the NW1/4SE1/4SW1/4 of section 7, T. 5 S., R. 36 E.; latitude 45.1398107, -118.3583609, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--3 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--9 to 12 degrees C
Mean winter soil temperature--0 to 3 degrees C
Soil moisture--dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 35 cm
Thickness of argillic horizon--18 to 28 cm
Ultic subgroup properties--base saturation of 60 to 70 percent in argillic horizon
Depth to paralithic contact--50 to 100 cm below mineral soil surface
Thickness of ash-influenced layers--5 to 60 cm
Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe--0.2 to 0.8 percent
*Volcanic ash in 0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction--15 to 30 percent
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--35 to 45 percent
*Total rock fragment content--35 to 65 percent
A horizon
Moist color--10YR 2/1, 10YR 2/2, 10YR 3/2
Dry color--10YR 3/3, 10YR 4/2, 10YR 5/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy silt loam, ashy loam
Clay content--10 to 12 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Gravel content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.5
Combined thickness--25 to 36 cm
2Eb horizon, and 2AEb horizon (where present)
Moist color--7.5YR 4/2, 10YR 4/3, 10YR 5/4
Dry color--7.5YR 6/2, 10YR 6/3, 10YR 7/2
Fine-earth texture--loam, sandy loam
Clay content--10 to 18 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 45 percent
Gravel content--10 to 15 percent
Cobble content--0 to 25 percent
Stone content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Thickness--5 to 20 cm
2Btb horizon
Moist color--7.5YR 3/4, 10YR 4/4
Dry color--7.5YR 3/4, 7.5YR 5/4, 10YR 5/3, 10YR 6/4
Fine-earth texture--clay loam, silty clay loam, clay
Clay content--35 to 45 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 65 percent
Gravel content--10 to 40 percent
Cobble content--10 to 35 percent
Stone content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Base saturation--60 to 70 percent
Thickness--18 to 28 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Lizard--very deep (no lithic contact within 150 cm); no discontinuity between surface horizon and top of argillic horizon
Nohelp--very deep (no lithic contact within 150 cm); mollic epipedon 50 to 75 cm thick; no eluvial E horizon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1300 to 1860 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; warm, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--670 to 870 mm
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 80 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Btree--in concave positions of backslopes; deep to paralithic contact; volcanic ash mantle 35 to 50 cm thick; under grand fir, western larch,
Douglas-fir, big huckleberry, twinflower, sidebells pyrola, and pinegrass
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Saturation during normal years--none
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing, recreation
Potential native vegetation--ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, heartleaf arnica, showy aster, elk sedge, pinegrass, western fescue, woodland strawberry, largeleaf sandwort, longstalk clover
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Foothills of central Rocky Mountains and Blue Mountains; MLRA 10; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Oregon; 2012
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 3 to 38 cm
*Volcanic glass--zone from 3 to 38 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 58 to 76 cm
*Ultic subgroup properties--zone from 58 to 76 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--38 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 58 to 76 cm
*Estimated linear extensibility between mineral soil surface and paralithic contact--4.3 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.