LOCATION HAPPUS OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-pumiceous, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Happus very gravelly sandy loam - on a 20 percent slope at an elevation of 2300 feet, woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; organic layer of needles and twigs.
A--1 to 3 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many very fine, fine and medium irregular pores; 45 percent pumice gravel and 10 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
AB--3 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine, fine and few medium and coarse tubular pores; 50 percent pumice gravel and 10 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--10 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine, fine and common medium and coarse tubular pores; 65 percent pumice gravel and 15 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--18 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely paragravelly ashy loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 80 percent pumice gravel and 15 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 10 to 25 inches)
C--30 to 61 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fragmental pumice, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Oregon, about 1000 feet east and 1500 feet north of the SW corner of section 7, T.11 S., R.11 E. (Latitude 44 degrees, 37 minutes, 47 seconds N, Longitude 121 degrees, 27 minutes, 55 seconds W) Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 90 consecutive days within the four months that follow the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 51 degrees F. Depth to fragmental pumice is 20 to 40 inches. The solum has 40 to 80 percent pumice, 30 to 40 percent volcanic glass and glass coated aggregate including 5 to 20 percent 0.5 to 2.0 mm pumice, 15 to 25 percent phosphate retention, 0.2 to 0.8 percent acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron, and 8 to 15 percent 15-bar water retention (air-dried). The particle-size control section has 5 to 10 percent field estimated clay, and 65 to 80 percent pumice gravel. Soil reaction is slightly acid or neutral throughout.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It contains 40 to 55 percent pumice gravel and 5 to 15 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice.
The Bw horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is sandy loam or loamy sand. It contains 65 to 80 percent pumice gravel and 10 to 20 percent 0.5mm to 2.0mm pumice.
The C horizon has value of 7 or 8 moist and dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry. It is fragmental pumice with less than 10 percent (by volume) of particles less than 2.0 mm diameter.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Happus soils are on strongly sloping to moderately steep south-facing toe slopes of canyons. The soil formed in residuum and colluvium derived dominantly from mixed volcanic ash and pumice. Slopes are 12 to 30 percent. Elevations are 2200 to 3200 feet. The climate is characterized by cool and wet winters and hot and dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Booten, Evick and Spilyay soils. Booten soils are on north-facing side slopes and ashy. Evick soils are on south-facing steep side slopes, and shallow to volcanic tuff. Spilyay soils are fine, montmorillonitic, well drained and very deep to volcanic tuff.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Permeability is moderately rapid to rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, watershed and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is Ponderosa pine with an understory of antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, arrowleaf balsamroot and tailcup lupine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Oregon; MLRA 6. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County (Warm Springs Indian Reservation), Oregon, 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - the zone from 10 to 18 inches (Bw1 horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 11 to 41 inches (lower 7 inches of Bw1, the Bw2, and the upper 11 inches of the C horizon) having a weighted average of 80 percent pumice.