LOCATION BOYCE OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Boyce silty clay loam, cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A1--6 to 12 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common fine distinct reddish brown redox concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A2--12 to 20 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, mopderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many coarse distinct reddish brown redox concentrations; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
AC--20 to 28 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and few medium pores; many coarse prominent reddish brown redox concentrations; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2C1--28 to 31 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
3C2--31 to 42 inches; very dark gray (N 3/) loamy sand, gray (N 5/) dry; single grained; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; few fine and medium pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
4C3--42 to 60 inches; stratified very gravelly sand and sand, single grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic.
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon; about 5 miles east of Dayville; 50 feet south and 250 feet east of the junction of the ranch road and the highway; 1,900 feet east and 1,350 feet south of the NW corner of section 11, T.13S., R.27E. Latitude 44 degrees, 27 minutes, 29 seconds North, Longitude 119 degrees, 26 minutes, 29 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F, and the mean summer soil temperature is 65 to 72 degrees F. The soil is saturated with water at some period of the year. Sandy or sandy-skeletal material is at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
The upper part of the particle-size control section is silt loam or silty clay loam and has thin layers of loam or sandy loam. It has 18 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand and has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 40 inches thick. Distinct redox concentrations are at a depth of 6 to 24 inches.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist and 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 1 to 3. It is neutral to moderately alkaline. It is slightly to non-efferevescent in the upper most layer and non-efferevescent in lower layers.
The 3C or 4C horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry in the upper part and 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry in the lower part. The chroma is 1 to 3. It is neutral or slightly alkaline. It is loamy sand, gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly sand. It has 0 to 5 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Dayville series. Dayville soils are somewhat poorly drained and depth to redox concentration is greater than 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Boyce soils are in depressional areas on flood plains or low alluvial fans. Elevations range from 2,000 to 4,000 feet. The soils formed in stratified recent alluvium of mixed origin. The climate is semiarid with hot dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 18 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F, and the mean
summer temperature is 63 degrees to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 80 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Dayville soils and Balm, Veazie, Yakima, Ricco and Powder soils. Balm, Veazie and Yakima soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Balm soils are somewhat poorly drained. Veazie and Yakima soils are well drained. Ricco soils are fine textured. Powder soils are well drained, are coarse-silty, and lack strongly contrasting layers.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow runoff; moderate over rapid permeability. It is rarely or occasionally flooded. A high water table is at 0.5 to 1.0 feet from March to July.
USE AND VEGETATION: Hay and pasture. The native vegetation is Nebraska sedge, tufted hairgrass and Baltic rush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys of central and eastern Oregon. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Prineville Area, Crook County, Oregon,
1963.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 31 inches