LOCATION BRABBLE OR

Established Series
Rev. JAP-TDT-JVC-JBF
12/2010

BRABBLE SERIES

The Brabble series consists of moderately deep to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks. Brabble soils are on hills. Slopes are 5 to 25 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplodurids

TYPICAL PEDON: Brabble gravelly sandy clay loam--on a 12 percent north-facing hillslope at 1,555 meters elevation--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 8 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

A2--8 to 23 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine vesicular, irregular and tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)

Bw1--23 to 46 cm; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bw2--46 to 66 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)

Bk--66 to 84 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in many filaments and masses; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 20 cm thick)

2Bkqm--84 to 97 cm; cemented material; extremely hard, brittle; indurated by opaline silica; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated in filaments and as coats on rock fragments; 10 percent gravel; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 25 cm thick)

2--97 cm; fractured andesite.

TYPE LOCATION: Harney County, Oregon; on the plateaus east of Tule Springs Rims; about 800 feet north and 1,900 feet east of the southwest corner of section 18, T. 37 S., R. 35 E.; USGS Red Lookout Butte 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees 19 minutes 18 seconds N and longitude 118 degrees 26 minutes 34 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually moist in the winter and spring; dry from July through October; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C.
Mean summer soil temperature: 17 to 18 degrees C.
Depth to horizons with secondary carbonates: 50 to 76 cm.
Depth to indurated duripan: 50 to 100 cm.
Depth to bedrock: 76 to 127 cm to a lithic contact.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Rock fragments: Averages 5 to 25 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt or andesite.

A horizons
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2, dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bw horizons
Value: 5 through 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam, loam, or gravelly clay loam.

Bk horizon
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Loam, gravelly loam, or gravelly clay loam
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent.

2Bkqm horizon
Rock fragment content: 5 to 20 percent in an indurated matrix.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bioya and Vickery series.
Bioya soils do not have cambic horizons and have horizons with durinodes above the duripan. Vickery soils typically do not have lithic contacts within 127 cm of the soil surface, average less than 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section, and have frost-free periods of 100 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brabble soils are on hills. These soils formed in slope alluvium, colluvium and residuum derived from volcanic rocks such as basalt or andesite. Slopes are 5 to 25 percent. Elevations range from 1,480 to 1,710 meters. The climate is semiarid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 7 to 9 degrees C., and the frost-free period is 80 to 100 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Calderwood soil. Calderwood soils are loamy-skeletal, do not have duripans, and are shallow to lithic contacts.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductiovity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Brabble soils are used for rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly Wyoming big sagebrush, spiny hopsage, Thurber's needlegrass, Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and bottlebrush squirreltail.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harney County, Oregon, 1997.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - The zone from 23 to 66 cm (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
Identifiable secondary carbonates - The zone from 66 to 97 cm (Bk and 2Bkqm horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 84 to 97 cm (2Bkqm horizon).
Lithic contact - The boundary at 97 cm to underlying, hard unweathered bedrock (2R layer).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 25 to 84 cm (Bw1, Bw2, and Bk horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.