LOCATION DEADLINE OR

Established Series
Rev. MHF/CDJ
06/2011

DEADLINE SERIES

The Deadline series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from schist or phyllite rock types. Deadline soils are on broad ridgetops and side slopes of mountains. Slopes are 0 to 90 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 110 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Humic Dystrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Deadline very channery loam - woodland, on a 50 percent northwest-facing slope at an elevation of 2,600 feet. (When described on February 9, 1991 the soil profile was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs and woody materials.

A--1 to 9 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very channery loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium, and few coarse roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; 35 percent channers; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 9 inches thick)

Bw1--9 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very channery loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, and medium, and few coarse roots; many fine tubular pores; 35 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--20 to 34 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very channery clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 35 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bw3--34 to 49 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very channery clay loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 40 percent channers and 10 percent flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bw4--49 to 58 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) extremely channery loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 50 percent channers and 15 percent flagstones; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 30 to 55 inches)

R--58 inches; schist.

TYPE LOCATION: Curry County, Oregon; located about 1,300 feet south and 2,600 feet west of the northeast corner of section 24, T. 35 S., R. 13 W. (Latitude 42 degrees, 32 minutes, 11 seconds N.; Longitude 124 degrees, 11 minutes, 34 seconds W.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry less than 45 consecutive days between 4 and 12 inches in the four months following the summer solstice. The particle-size control section averages 20 to 30 percent clay and has 35 to 75 percent total rock fragments. Depth to bedrock and solum thickness is 40 to 60 inches. Soil reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid throughout.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It is very channery loam with l0 to 25 percent clay. It has 35 to 45 percent channers and 0 to 10 percent flagstones.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. It is very channery loam, extremely channery loam, or very channery clay loam with 20 to 30 percent clay. It has 35 to 60 percent channers and 0 to 15 percent flagstones.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cassiday, Cloverlick, and Trask series. Cassiday soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Cloverlick soils have 40 to 65 percent silt in the particle-size control section and formed in colluvium and residuum from Pennsylvanian clastics. Trask soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deadline soils occur on metastable broad ridgetops and slump benches, and on metastable to active side slopes of mountains. Slopes are 0 to 90 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum derived from schist or phyllite rock types of the Colebrooke Schist Formation. Elevations are 200 to 3,000 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, moist summers. The mean annual precipitation is 90 to 130 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 53 degrees F. The frost-free period is 120 to 210 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barkshanty, Edson, Irma, and Nailkeg soils. All of these soils occur on broad ridgetops, benches, or side slopes of mountains. Barkshanty and Edson soils have argillic horizons. Irma soils are fine-loamy. Nailkeg soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Deadline soils are used for timber production, watershed, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, Port-Orford cedar, tanoak, Pacific madrone, canyon live oak, cascade Oregongrape, salal, Pacific rhododendron, evergreen huckleberry, western swordfern, common beargrass, western rattlesnake plantain, Oregon oxalis, and evergreen violet.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of southwestern Oregon; MLRA 1. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Curry County, Oregon; 1995.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:

Ochric epipedon
Humic subgroup - color requirement is met from 1 to 9 inches
Cambic horizon - from a depth of 9 to 58 inches (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3, and Bw4 horizons).
Particle-size control section - from 11 to 41 inches (part of Bw1, the Bw2, and part of the Bw3 horizons) with a weighted average of 43 percent rock fragments.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.