LOCATION GINSER OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haploxerolls
TYPIFYING PEDON: Ginser gravelly silt loam, range. (Colors for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravelly silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium platy structure that parts to moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; many irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
A2--6 to 14 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) gravelly silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky and moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent angular pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
AB--14 to 25 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; 30 percent angular pebbles; few very dark brown krotovinas; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--25 to 33 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gravelly silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few roots; many very fine tubular pores; 60 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; few faint clay films on coarse fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
2Cr--33 to 60 inches; olive brown and olive (2.5Y 4/4 and 5Y 4/4) weathered clayey sediments, grayish brown and olive gray (2.5Y 5/2 and 5Y 5/2) dry; massive; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few roots in upper part.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Oregon; 2,640 feet south, 1,100 feet east of NW corner section 34, SE1/4 SW1/4 NW1/4, section 34, T.10S., R.16E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist but are dry for more than 60 to 90 consecutive days between depths of 4 and 12 inches within the 3 month period following the summer solstice. They are moist in some part for one-half to three-fourths the time (cumulative) during the period the soil temperature exceeds 41 degrees F. The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. It is 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. It is moderately acid to neutral. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 30 inches thick. The content of angular rock fragments of pebbles, cobbles, and stones in the solum ranges from 5 to 30 percent pebbles and up to 10 percent cobbles and stones in the A horizons and 40 to 60 percent pebbles and 10 to 20 percent cobbles in the AB and Bt horizons with a weighted average of greater than 35 percent in the control section.
The A horizon has value of 3 or 4 dry and moist with a chroma of 3 to at least 20 inches.
The AB and Bt horizons are silty clay loam or silt loam and clay content is 25 to 35 percent. It has weak to moderate subangular blocky structure.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baldridge, Burgi, Chambeam, Climine, Fredonyer, Glean, Lambring, Podmor, Rendowa, Sinker, Simidale, St. Anthony, Webfoot, Westbutte and Willynat series. All of these soils are over 40 inches deep except for Fredonyer, Podmor, Sinker and Westbutte soils that are 20 to 40 inches to hard bedrock and St. Anthony soils that are 20 to 40 inches to sand and gravel.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on north-facing slopes at elevations of 3,500 to 4,500 feet. Slope gradients range from 12 to 70 percent. These soils formed in medium and moderately fine textured silty loess deposits over fractured lavas or fine textured sediments. The climate is a semiarid type with cool dry summers and cold winters; the mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F.; the mean summer temperature is 58 to 62 degrees F.; and the mean winter temperature is 28 to 32 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is about 13 to 16 inches. The frost free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Prag, Tub, and Utley soils. Prag and Tub soils occur on south facing slopes and have argillic horizons and contain less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section. Also, Tub soils have mesic soil temperatures. Utley soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for range. Vegetation is dominated by Idaho fescue with bluebunch wheatgrass, low and big sagebrush and associated forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Oregon. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County (Trout Creek, Shaniko Area), Oregon, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 25 inches
Cambic horizon - 25 to 33 inches