LOCATION DRICE ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vitritorrandic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Drice stony ashy silty clay loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) The soil surface is partly covered by 20 percent stones.
A--0 to 10 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) stony ashy silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; common fine roots and common very fine roots; 10 percent stones and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4) clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 cm thick)
AB--10 to 36 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak thin platy structure; common fine roots and common very fine roots; 1 percent clay films on surfaces along pores; 4 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 26 cm thick)
Bt1--36 to 53 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine prismatic parting to strong medium angular blocky structure; common fine roots and common very fine roots; 60 percent pressure faces; 5 percent stones, 4 percent gravel, slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 23 cm thick)
Bt2--53 to 58 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) stony clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; common fine roots and common very fine roots; 60 percent pressure faces; 10 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, 4 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 cm thick)
R--58 cm; indurated basalt
TYPE LOCATION: Malheur County, Oregon; Approximately 30 miles south of Jordan Valley, OR; 479332 UTM easting and 4726748 UTM northing zone 11T NAD83 on the USGS Skull Creek 7.5 minute quad, 42 degrees, 41 minutes, 35 seconds north latitude and 117 degrees, 15 minutes and 8 seconds west longitude NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture - Moist in winter and spring, usually dry July through mid-October; aridic bordering xeric soil moisture regime.
Soil Temperature - 6 to 7 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 20 to 36 cm, may include the Bt1 horizon.
Depth to bedrock - 50 to 100 cm.
Other features - Thin E horizons are present in some pedons. Thin opal coatings above bedrock are present in some pedons.
Control section - Average clay percent - 35 to 50 percent.
- Rock Fragments - 3 to 30 percent.
A horizon -
Value: 5 dry, 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 30 to 50 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction.
AB horizon -
Value: 4 to 5 dry, 3 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist.
Percent Clay: 27 to 38.
Texture: Ashy silty clay loam, gravelly ashy silty clay loam, or stony ashy silty clay loam.
Rock Fragments: Averages 0 to 34 percent, mainly gravel or stones.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Volcanic glass: Volcanic glass is estimated to range from 30 to 50 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction.
Bt1 Horizon -
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry.
Percent Clay: 30 to 50.
Texture: Silty clay loam, clay, stony clay, or clay loam.
Rock Fragments: Averages 0 to 20 percent, mainly gravel or stones.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
Bt2 Horizon -
Value: 3 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry.
Percent Clay: 35 to 55.
Texture: gravelly clay, stony clay, or stony clay loam.
Rock Fragments: Averages 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel or stones.
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Drice soils are on hills and volcanic lava plateaus. These soils formed in volcanic ash and loess over residuum from basalt, andesite, and tuff. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 1,402 to 1,524 meters. The climate is cool, semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 280 to 330 mm; mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost free season is 60 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the proposed Littlegrass, Zola, and Nuss soils. Littlegrass soils have basin big sagebrush vegetation and are well drained. Zola soils are fine-loamy and are very deep. Nuss soils are shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, very high runoff, moderate permeability, saturated in the upper part for two weeks or more in spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. The present vegetation is mainly low sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Oregon; the soil is of small extent. MLRA 25.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES PROPOSED: Malheur County, Oregon, South Part, 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to about 36 cm (A and AB horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 36 cm to 58 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Vitritorrandic feature - Aridic moisture regime bordering on Xeric. Volcanic glass is 30 to 50 percent of the 0.2 to 2 mm fraction in the zone from 0 to 36 cm (A and AB horizons).
Particle control section - The zone from 36 cm to 58 cm. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)