LOCATION HERBERGER OR
Tentative Series
IRD. SCW/KMS
05/2013
HERBERGER SERIES
The Herberger series consists of moderately deep to a densic layer, well drained soils formed in tuffaceous sediments over glaciofluvial deposits with a minor influence of volcanic ash in the surface layers. They are found on fan remnants and outwash plains. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 17 inches (430 millimeters), and the mean annual temperature is 6 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Pachic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Herberger ashy clay loam - rangeland, on a 2 percent slope at an elevation of 1,460 meters. (When described on September 14, 2011, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 centimeters thick)
2Bt1--4 to 13 inches (10 to 33 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces and in pores; 30 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--13 to 24 inches (33 to 61 cm); dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; very many prominent clay films on ped faces and in pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 46 to 84 centimeters)
3Cd1--24 to 45 inches (61 to 114 cm); dark brown (10YR 3/3) dense glacial till crushes to extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; massive; very hard, extremely firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 65 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
3Cd2--45 to 57 inches (114 to 145 cm); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) dense glacial till crushes to loamy coarse sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) dry; massive; hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon, located about 7.5 miles northwest of the town of Seneca; 400 feet north and 1,000 feet east of the southwest corner of section 11, T. 16 S., R. 30 E.
Latitude: 44.1934
Longitude: -119.0932
Datum: WGS84
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Dry days: Usually moist, but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 90 days consecutive days following the summer solstice.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C
Depth to dense till: 50 to 100 cm
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 50 to 100 cm, normally includes the entire argillic
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Volcanic ash influenced layers:
Thickness: 5 to 15 cm
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction: 5 to 20 percent
Ammonium oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe: 0.4 to 1.0 percent
Particle Size Control Section:
Clay Content: 35 to 50 percent
Total Rock Fragment Content: 0 to 30 percent
A horizon
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 2 or 3, moist or dry
Fine-earth texture: ashy clay loam or ashy loam
Clay content: 20 to 30 percent
Gravel content: 0 to 10 percent
2Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 3 to 5 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4, moist or dry
Fine-earth texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Gravel content: 0 to 30 percent
3Cd horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5 moist, 3 to 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry.
Fine-earth texture: sandy loam or loamy sand
Clay content: 7 to 20 percent clay
Gravel content: 10 to 65 percent gravel
Lens of finer textured material do occur
COMPETING SERIES: There are
Arva,
Broadhead,
Bumpheads,
Cristo,
Henefer,
Lostpepper,
Rugar,
Schnipps, and
Sweitberg series. All of these soils lack a densic layer.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Herberger soils are on outwash plains and fan remnants. Elevations range from 1,370 to 1,525 meters. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. They formed in tuffaceous sediments over glaciofluvial deposits with an influence of volcanic ash in the surface layers. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches (350 to 500 millimeters). The mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C. The frost free period is 30 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Fopiano,
Gerow,
Laycock,
Lemke (T),
Luckycreek,
Pothole (T),
Prag,
Rastus,
Silvies,
Skullgulch,
Southworth (T), and
Sylvaille (T) soils. Fopiano and Prag soils are found on sideslopes of fan remnants. Fopiano soils are shallow to a paralithic contact whereas Prag is moderately deep. Gerow and Silvies soils are located on broad floodplains. Gerow and Silvies soils have redoximorphic concentrations within 76 cm of the soil surface. Laycock and Southworth soils are on hills, have an "O" horizon, and are shallow and moderately deep to shale bedrock, respectively. Lemke soils are on fan remnants and have an "O" horizon and are shallow to a densic layer. Luckycreek soils are on broad terraces, are fine-loamy, and very deep to any bedrock. Pothole soils occur as bowl-shaped depressions on fan remnants and are in the "fine-loamy ovDer clayey" family. Rastus soils are moderately deep to a duripan and are located on fan remnants with Herburger soils. Skullgulch soils are in small swales of fan remnants and lack any root restrictive layer and are in the fine family. Sylvaille soils are on outwash plains, are loamy, and are shallow to a densic layer.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is dominated by mountain big sagebrush, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, parsnip flower buckwheat, and prairie junegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Oregon. MLRA B10. This series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Grant County, Oregon. 2011. The name is derived from Herberger Spring and the Herberger family who were early residents of Bear Valley.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon (pachic): zone from the surface to 61 cm (A, 2Bt1, and 2Bt2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature: zone from the surface to 0 to 10 cm (A horizon). The A horizon is not sufficiently thick to qualify for the vitrandic subgroup.
Argillic horizon: zone from 10 to 61 cm (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section: zone from 10 to 60 cm (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)
Densic layers: zone from 61 to 145 cm (3Cd1 and 3Cd2 horizons)
Soil moisture regime: Xeric
Frequently the soil surface is littered with sub-rounded, gravel-sized fragments of shale, tuff, limestone, serpentine, and occasionally obsidian.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.