LOCATION COLLEGECREEK OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Collegecreek ashy loam, rangeland, on a 18 percent east-facing slope at an elevation of 2,400 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
A--0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; common fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Bw2--24 to 28 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
2Ab--28 to 41 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
2Bwb--41 to 61 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 10 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon, Section 15, T. 1 S., R. 48 E. Latitude: 45 degrees, 28 minutes, 54 seconds N.
Longitude: 116 degrees, 47 minutes, 58 seconds, W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days.
Mean annual soil temperature - 49 to 52 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 60 to 62 degrees F.
Mean winter soil temperature - 37 to 39 degrees F.
Upper part of the particle-size control section - 5 to 10 percent clay (apparent field texture) and 0 to 10 percent rock fragments
Lower part of the particle-size control section - 10 to 18 percent clay, 0 to 30 percent rock fragments
Depth to bedrock - greater than 60 inches
Volcanic ash mantle - from the mineral soil surface, 20 to 30 inches thick.
Al + Fe (aox): 0.6 to 1.8 percent
bulk density: 0.8 to 1.0 g/cc
P-retention: 40 to 70 percent
0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 40 to 60 percent of fine earth
glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction: 60 to 90 percent
water content at 1500 kPa (air dried): 5 to 12 percent
8Si + 2Fe (aox): 2 to 5 percent
8Si - 2Fe (aox): -1 to 0 percent
Major horizons:
A horizon:
Hue - 10YR
Value - 4 or 5 moist and dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry
Texture - Ashy L
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel
Clay - 5 to 10 percent
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3
Bw1 horizon:
Hue - 10YR
Value - 5 or 6 moist and dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist and dry
Texture - Ashy-FSL, Ashy-L
Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent gravel
Clay - 5 to 10 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8
Bw2 horizon:
Hue - 10YR
Value - 5 or 6 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist, 1 to 3 dry
Texture - Ashy-FSL, Ashy-L. Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles
Clay - 5 to 10 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 8.4
2Ab horizon:
Hue 10YR
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma - 2 to 4 moist and dry
Texture - SIL, GR-SIL, CBL, GR-SL, FSL
Rock fragments - 0 to 30 percent total with 0 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles
Clay - 10 to 15 percent clay
Reaction - 6.6 to 8.4
2Bwb horizon:
Hue 10YR
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist and dry
Texture - CB-L, SIL, VFSL
Rock fragments - 0 to 30 percent total with 0 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones
Clay - 10 to 18 percent
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Cupper (T) series. Series with a similar classification and glassy over isotic mineralogy, include the Chuckanut, Reinecke, and Wolot soils.
Cupper soils - have 30 to 50 percent volcanic glass in the upper part of the pscs; have secondary carbonates and 18 to 27 percent clay in the lower pscs
Chuckanut soils - are 40 to 60 inches to a paralithic contact (sandstone); have 15 to 45 percent pararock fragments throughout the pscs; have an albic and Bs horizon
Reinecke soils - have 3 to 5 percent clay in the ash mantle; hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR in the lower particle-size control section; and are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Wolot soils - have 18 to 35 percent clay and silt loam or silty clay loam textures in the lower part of the contrasting particle-size control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: toeslopes, fans and terraces of dissected plateaus or narrow valleys
Slope gradient: 0 to 30 percent
Parent material: volcanic ash overlying colluvium and alluvium from basalt
Lithology: basalt
Elevations are 2,000 to 3,400 feet
Climate: cold, moist winters and hot, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 20 inches
Mean annual temperature: 47 to 50 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 95 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Doublecreek and Phys soils. Doublecreek soils are on adjacent stable terraces and benches and do not have andic soil properties in the upper 14 inches of the surface layer. Phys soils are on alluvial fans and terraces, are loamy-skeletal and do not have andic soil properties.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, livestock grazing and recreation. The native vegetation is Idaho Fescue, Sandberg's bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, rattlesnake brome, Japanese brome, prairie junegrass, lupine spp, arrow balsamroot, yarrow, Snake river phlox, western hawkweed, twin arnica, wild hyacinth, white stemmed frasers, cleavers, common spendwell and tonella brome.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon; MLRA 9. The soils are of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County, Oregon 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 8 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - from 8 to 24 inches (Bw horizon).
Andic properties - from 0 to 28 inches (A, and Bw horizons).
Particle-size control section - from 0 to 40 inches with 0 to 28 inches qualifying as ashy, glassy and 28 to 40 inches qualifying as loamy, mixed, superactive.
Dominant plant association - FEID-KCOR (low elevation)
Family mineralogy revised 07/04 from mixed, superactive to ashy over mixed, superactive based on laboratory data collected from associated soils.