LOCATION BULLY OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Xeric Torrifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Bully silt loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; many very fine pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C1--9 to 30 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; common very fine tubular pores; few white soft diatomite fragments; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); diffuse wavy boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
C2--30 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; few very fine tubular pores; few soft diatomite fragments in the matrix, increasing with increasing depth; few thin lenses of very fine sandy loam; noncalcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Malheur County, Oregon; about 1/2 mile NW of Harper; 40 feet north and 40 feet east of the SW corner of the SE1/4 of section 31, T.19S., R.42E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from about 48 degrees to 54 degrees F. These soils are usually dry and are dry between depths of 4 and 12 inches for 80 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Depth to bedrock is 60 inches or more. Sand- and pebble-size chunks of diatomite are scattered throughout the profile but average less than 5 percent. The soils are moderately alkaline throughout and are noncalcareous.
The A and C horizons have value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. Silica-cemented rounded nodular concretions up to 1/2 inch in diameter are in the C horizon in amounts of 2 to 10 percent. The A and C horizons are silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam and contain less than 18 percent clay and less than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand.
Stratified layers of coarse material from diatomaceous earth are below depths of 40 to 60 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Linoyer and Thomas series. Both of these soils are calcareous.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Bully soils are on nearly level alluvial flood plains and fans, at elevations of 2,500 to 3,500 feet. The soils formed in recent alluvium of mixed materials high in weathered diatomite. Average annual precipitation is about 7 to 9 inches with hot dry summers and cold dry winters. The average July temperature is about 68 degrees to 73 degrees F. and the average January temperature is about 24 degrees to 28 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 46 degrees to 52 degrees F. and the frost-free period is about 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Powder, Stanfield and Umapine soils. Powder soils have a mollic epipedon and are calcareous. Stanfield soils have a duripan at depths of 20 to 40 inches and are very strongly alkaline. Umapine soils are strongly alkaline and calcareous throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Range in irrigated farm land. Native plants dominantly are giant wild ryegrass, big sagebrush and hopsage. Irrigated crops are potatoes, onions, corn, small grains and alfalfa for hay and seed.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Malheur County, Oregon. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Malheur County, Oregon, 1975.