LOCATION DIXIEJETT OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Dixiejett gravelly loam - rangeland on a 50 percent planar northwest - facing slope at an elevation of 3,640 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores, 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary.
A2--6 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 12 inches)
Bt1--10 to 18 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots few fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds, 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--18 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon is 17 to 28 inches.)
BC--27 to 43 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 20 inches)
R--43 inches; basalt bedrock
TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon, in the SE 1/4 SE 1/4 SW 1/4 of Section 27, T. 3 S., R. 48 E.; (Latitude 45 degrees, 21 minutes, 8 seconds N., Longitude 116 degrees, 46 minutes, 15 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - dry from 75 to 90 consecutive days in the summer.
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 52 degrees F.
Particle-size control section - 18 to 35 percent clay and 45 to 75 percent rock fragments.
Mollic epipedon - 10 to 20 inches thick.
Solum - 40 to 60 inches thick.
Depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches.
Depth to base of argillic - 25 to 40 inches.
A1 horizon:
Hue - 10YR.
Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 to 6 dry.
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry.
Texture - GR-L. Rock fragments - 25 to 35 percent total with 15 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones.
Clay - 10 to 25 percent.
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8.
A2 horizon
hue - 10YR.
Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 to 6 dry.
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry. Texture - GRV-L, GRX-L.
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent total with 30 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones.
Clay - 10 to 25 percent.
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8.
Bt horizon
hue - 10YR.
Value - 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist or dry.
Texture - GRV-CL, GRV-L, GRX-CL, GRX-L, CBV-L.
Rock fragments - 45 to 75 percent total with 35 to 50 percent gravel, 10 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 15 percent stones.
Clay - 25 to 35 percent.
Reaction - 6.6 to 8.4.
BC horizon
hue - 10YR.
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry.
Chroma - 4 or 5 moist or dry.
Texture - GRV-L, GRV-CL, GRX-L.
Rock fragments - 35 to 80 percent total with 20 to 50 percent gravel, 10 to 25 percent cobbles, and 5 to 15 percent stones.
Clay - 20 to 30 percent.
Reaction - 6.6 to 8.4
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baboon, Badge, Collard, Goodnoe, Hooverton, Kusshi, Phys, Ridd, and Whitinger series.
Baboon soils - are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock and are dry for more than 90 consecutive days.
Badge soils - are dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days.
Collard soils - are greater than 60 inches to bedrock and are xeric bordering on aridic.
Goodnoe,
Hooverton,
Ridd, and
Whitinger soils - are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock.
Kusshi soils - have organic (Oi and Oe) layers and are 40 or more inches deep to the base of the argillic horizon.
Phys soils - are more than 60 inches to bedrock and have a solum thickness of 14 to 28 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dixiejett soils are on mid to lower slopes of plateaus or canyons. Elevations are 2,800 to 4,000 feet. Slopes are 30 to 90 percent. The soil is formed in colluvium and residuum derived from basalt. The climate is characterized by cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 13 to 20 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and frost-free period is 100 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lickskillet and Rockly soils. Lickskillet and Rockly soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock and are on side slopes of plateaus.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed, recreation, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg's bluegrass, rattlesnake brome, cheatgrass, yarrow, tall annual willow-weed, arrowleaf balsamroot, silky lupine, swale desert parsley, fern-leaved lomatium, prickly lettuce and narrow leaved collomia.
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, Oregon 1998. The source of the name is Dixiejett Creek.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 18 inches (A1, A2, and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 10 to 27 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 27 inches.
The USFS plant association is AGSP-POSA3 (basalt)