LOCATION CHERRYCREEK OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cherrycreek very cobbly ashy silt loam - rangeland, on a 65 percent planar northwest-facing slope at an elevation of 5,000 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) very cobbly ashy silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; common fine and medium irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; NaF pH 7.9; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary.
A2--9 to 28 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely cobbly ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; common fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; NaF pH 8.6; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizon is 20 to 35 inches)
Bw1--28 to 43 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely cobbly ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 inches thick)
2Bw2--43 to 53 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly silt loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 40 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 15 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2R--53 inches; basalt bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon; 1,920 feet north and 960 feet west of the southeast corner of Section 27, T.1S., R.47E. (Latitude 45 degrees, 26 minutes, 44 seconds N; Longitude 116 degrees, 55 minutes, 18 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are dry throughout between 8 and 36 inches for 60 to 75 days during the summer. The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 35 inches thick. The upper 35 to 50 inches is influenced by volcanic glass. The 10 to 40 inch control section has 12 to 18 percent clay and 40 to 80 percent rock fragments. Soil reaction is slightly acid to neutral. Base saturation (NH4OAC) is greater than 75 percent.
The A1 horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. It is very cobbly ashy silt loam with 12 to 18 percent clay. It has 35 to 60 percent rock fragments with 20 to 30 percent gravel, 15 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones. It has 0.4 to 1.0 percent acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron, 15 to 30 percent volcanic glass, and 15 to 30 percent 15-bar moisture (air dried).
The A2 horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. It is extremely cobbly ashy silt loam, very gravelly ashy silt loam, extremely cobbly ashy loam, or very gravelly ashy loam with 12 to 18 percent clay. It has 35 to 75 percent rock fragments with 25 to 50 percent gravel, 10 to 30 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones. It has 0.4 to 1.0 percent acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron, 5 to 10 percent volcanic glass, and 15 to 25 percent 15-bar moisture (air dried).
The Bw1 horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 to 4 moist or dry. It is extremely cobbly ashy silt loam, very gravelly ashy silt loam, extremely cobbly ashy loam, or very gravelly ashy loam with 12 to 18 percent clay with 12 to 18 percent clay. It has 40 to 80 percent rock fragments with 25 to 40 percent gravel, 10 to 30 percent cobbles, and 5 to 15 percent stones.
The 2Bw2 horizon, when present, has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist or dry. It is extremely cobbly silt loam, extremely cobbly loam, or very cobbly loam with 18 to 25 percent clay. It has 40 to 80 percent rock fragments with 30 to 40 percent gravel, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 15 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bearspring,
Cassal,
Dogtown,
Eastpine,
Egyptcreek,
Fredonyer,
Longs,
Midpeak,
Mineral,
Peahke,
Piersonte,
Scoap,
Shalrock,
Shilling,
Umatilla, and
Yellcreek soils.
Bearspring soils - are greater than 60 inches to bedrock; mollic epipedon 10 to 15 inches thick.
Cassal soils - 20 to 40 inches to densic contact; mollic epipedon 10 to 18 inches thick; redox features at 30 to 45 inches.
Dogtown soils - 40 to over 60 inches to a paralithic contact; mollic epipedon 10 to 20 inches thick; dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days.
Eastpine soils - 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact (metasedimentary); dry 45 to 60 consectutive days.
Egyptcreek soils - 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact (welded tuff); mollic epipedon 7 to 14 inches thick; dry 75 to 90 consecutive days.
Fredonyer soils - 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact (andesite); dry greater than 75 consecutive days.
Longs soils - pscs has 18 to 27 percent clay.
Midpeak soils - 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact (breccia); mollic epipedon 7 to 15 inches thick.
Mineral soils - 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact.
Peahke soils - 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact; dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days.
Piersonte soils - greater than 60 inches to bedrock; pscs dominated by 50 to 70 % rock fragments of shale origin.
Scoap soils - have 8 to 12 percent clay in the particle-size control section, have 5 to 12 percent 15-bar moisture (air dried), and have base saturation of less than 75 percent in some part of the upper 30 inches of the profile.
Shalrock soils - 20 to 40 inches to lithic contact (sandstone); mollic epipedon 7 to 12 inches thick.
Shilling soils - greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock; mollic epipedon 10 to 12 inches thick, pscs has greater than 18 % clay.
Umatilla soils - greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock; pscs has 25 to 35 percent clay.
Yellcreek soils - greater than 60 inches deep to bedrock; mollic epipedon 7 to 15 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cherrycreek soils are on north-facing midslopes of plateaus and canyons, and on structural benches. Elevations are 2,800 to 6,200 feet. Slopes are 2 to 90 percent. The soil formed in mixed ash and loess over colluvium and residuum derived from basalt. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 30 inches. The mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anatone, and Imnaha soils. Anatone soils are 10 to 20 inches deep to bedrock and are on side slopes of plateaus. Imnaha soils have an argillic horizon and are on side slopes of plateaus.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for, watershed, recreation, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is Idaho fescue, mallow ninebark, common snowberry, rose, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Saskatoon serviceberry. Plant association: (SM19); PHMA/SYAL (mallow ninebark/common snowberry)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Oregon; MLRA 9. The soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County Area, Oregon, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 28 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 28 to 53 inches (Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons).
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 0 to 43 inches (A1, A2, and Bw1 horizons).
Pachic feature - the zone from 0 to 28 inches qualifying as a mollic epipedon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data available for this pedon. Reference sample #S92OR-063-011 for Wallowa County, Oregon, NSSL, Lincoln, NE., 1/94.
Note: Based on partial laboratory data, the A2 horizon, from 9 to 28 inches, meets isotic mineralogy criteria with NaF pH of 8.6 and 1500 kPa water to measured clay ratio of 1.1. It is assumed the Bw1 horizon also meets isotic criteria and therefore meets the thickness requirement for isotic mineralogy family.