LOCATION FRUITCREEK              OR

Established Series
IRD. RJO/DAL/KMS
01/2019

FRUITCREEK SERIES

Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain slopes
Slope--0 to 90 percent
Parent material--colluvium derived from metasedimentary rock with an influence of volcanic ash in the upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 990 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 2 degrees C
Depth class--moderately deep to lithic bedrock
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Vitrixerandic Humicryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Fruitcreek very gravelly ashy sandy loam in an area of rangeland, on a 40-percent, southwest-facing slope at an elevation of 2200 m

A1--0 to 23 cm; very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; common fine and few medium irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary

A2--23 to 43 cm; very gravelly ashy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; many fine and common medium irregular pores; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear irregular boundary

Bw1--43 to 66 cm; extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; common fine and few medium irregular pores and few fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear irregular boundary

2Bw2--66 to 94 cm; extremely cobbly sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few distinct skeletans on rock fragments; few fine roots in cracks; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 50 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt irregular boundary

2R--94 cm; metamorphosed argillite

TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon, in section 28, T. 8 S., R. 37 E.; latitude 44.8420774, longitude -118.192711, datum WGS 84 (source of coordinates unknown but most likely estimated from point on hard copy map)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--about 2 to 4 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--about 5 to 8 degrees C
Mean winter soil temperature--about -2 to 2 degrees C
Soil moisture--dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Depth to lithic contact--50 to 100 cm
Thickness of umbric epipedon--25 to 50 cm

Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe--0.7 to 1.0 percent
*Glass content in 0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction--5 to 25 percent
*15-bar water retention--5 to 12 (dried samples)

A horizon
Moist color--10YR 2/1, 10YR 2/2, 10YR 3/1, 10YR 3/2, 10YR 3/3, 2.5Y 3/2
Dry color--10YR 3/2, 10YR 3/3, 10YR 4/2, 10YR 4/3, 10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4, 2.5Y 4/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loam
Clay content--4 to 8 percent
Sand content--50 to 70 percent
Organic matter content--1 to 8 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent
Gravel content--20 to 45 percent
Cobble content--0 to 20 percent
Stone content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5

Bw1 horizon
Moist color--10YR 3/4, 10YR 5/4, 2.5Y 3/4
Dry color--10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4, 10YR 6/4, 2.5Y 4/2, 2.5Y 5/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam
Clay content--3 to 8 percent
Sand content--50 to 75 percent
Organic matter content--1 to 2.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 75 percent
Gravel content--25 to 50 percent
Cobble content--0 to 35 percent
Stone content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5
Base saturation (NH4OAc)--50 to 65 percent
Thickness--15 to 35 cm

2Bw2 horizon
Moist color--2.5Y 3/2, 2.5Y 4/2
Dry color--2.5Y 5/2, 2.5Y 6/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam
Clay content--3 to 7 percent
Sand content--50 to 60 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 1.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 80 percent
Gravel content--20 to 50 percent
Cobble content--5 to 50 percent
Stone content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.6 to 6.0
Base saturation (NH4OAc)--60 to 75 percent
Thickness--10 to 30 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
Dollarlake--more than 150 cm thick; rounded or subrounded rock fragments of basalt till; on planar or concave glaciated footslopes; under alpine meadow
Granitemountain--more than 150 cm thick; base saturation (NH4OAc) of less than 50 percent in one-half or more of the thickness between 25 and 75 cm (dystric); subangular or subrounded rock fragments of granitic colluvium
Leespeak--base saturation (NH4OAc) of less than 50 percent in one-half or more of the thickness between 25 and 75 cm (dystric); subangular or subrounded rock fragments of granitic colluvium

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1830 to 2350 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; cool, moist summers
Mean annual precipitation--670 to 1490 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 1 to 3 degrees C
Frost-free period--20 to 60 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Angelpeak--on concave to planar backslopes; under a closed-canopy subalpine fir forest; thick volcanic ash mantle; 100 to 150 cm or more (deep, very deep) to bedrock (argillite)
Bordengulch--on concave or planer backslopes under a closed-canopy subalpine fir forest; thin volcanic ash mantle; 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to bedrock (argillite, sandstone)
Vandamine--on concave or planer backslopes; under a closed-canopy subalpine fir forest; thin volcanic ash mantle; more than 150 cm thick

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Saturation during normal years--none
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation
Native vegetation--western juniper, subalpine fir, whitebark pine, lodgepole pine, elk sedge, mountain big sagebrush, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, phlox, Sandberg bluegrass, western needlegrass, sandwort, prairie Junegrass, common yarrow
Plant association--dominantly ARTRV/FEID; may include ARTRV/CAGE and ABLA/POPU

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon; MLRA 43C; small extent

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Oregon; 2018

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Umbric epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 43 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 43 to 94 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 94 cm
*Volcanic glass--zone from the surface to a depth of 66 cm
*Eutric subgroup properties--base saturation of 50 percent or more in zone from 43 to 94 cm (more than half the thickness between depths of 25 to 75 cm)
*Depth to lithic contact--94 cm

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.