LOCATION HOUSEFIELD OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Housefield mucky silt loam - marsh land, on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 4135 feet. (When described on October 20, 1993 the soil was moist to 29 inches and saturated below 29 inches. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--3 inches to 0; partially decomposed roots and leaves. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 4/1) mucky silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine, fine and medium irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 16 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky parting to moderate very fine and fine platy; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--16 to 30 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron concentrations within peds and adjacent to pores; few white sand-size pumice grains; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bw3--30 to 36 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron concentrations within peds and adjacent to pores; few 1 to 2 mm diameter sand-size pumice grains, few glass shards; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bw4--36 to 48 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) iron concentrations lining pores, common fine distinct brown (10YR 5/3) iron concentrations in ped interiors; few 1 to 2 mm diameter sand-size pumice grains, few glass shards; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 30 to 45 inches thick)
2C--48 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; many fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions within peds and along pores, many distinct dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) iron concentrations within peds and along pores; black (10YR 2/1) organic matter coatings lining pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Harney County, Oregon, about 1.5 miles east of Buena Vista Station, about 1500' north and 1000' west of the southeast corner of section 11, T. 29S, R. 31E. (Latitude 43 degrees 3 minutes 49 seconds N, Longitude 118 degrees 50 minutes 29 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon and solum thickness is 40 to 50 inches thick. The mean annual soil temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The soil reaction is typically neutral to slightly alkaline but very strongly alkaline surface phases are recognized. The organic matter content throughout the particle-size control section ranges from 10 to 20 percent and averages 18 to 27 percent clay. Depth to redoximorphic iron concentrations is from 6 to 16 inches. The soils are frequently ponded with up to 3 feet of water on the surface from March to July.
The A horizon has a chroma of 1 or 2. It has 15 to 25 percent clay.
The Bw horizon has a value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is mucky silt loam, in the upper part grading to mucky silty clay loam in the lower part. It has 18 to 35 percent clay.
The 2C horizon has a hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 2 through 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 0 through 3. It is silty clay, or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fury and Quam series. Fury soils have 1 to 8 percent organic matter throughout the particle-size control section. Quam soils have formed in calcareous glacial landscapes, average 22 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section, have less than 10 percent organic in the lower A and C horizons and have 19 to 24 inches of precipitation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Housefield soils are on low stream terraces and have slopes of 0 to 1 percent. The soils formed in alluvium. Elevations are 4,090 to 4,230 feet. The climate is characterized by cold, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 10 inches. The mean annual temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. The frost free period is 50 to 80 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Doubleo, Fury, Jimgreen and Skidoosprings soils. Skidoosprings soils are on higher alluvial terraces and have an ochric epipedon. Doubleo soils are on alluvial terraces and have clayey subsoils. Fury soils are on slightly higher alluvial terraces and have less than 8 percent organic matter in the subsoil. Jimgreen soils are organic soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; ponded; moderate over slow permeability. Flooding is rare. Ponding is frequent. A fluctuating water table is present at 0 to 2.5 feet from January to December.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for wildlife habitat, native hay production, and livestock grazing. Potential native vegetation is broadfruit burreed, and hardstem bulrush
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Floodplains of Donner und Blitzen River and Silver Creek. An alkali phase is mapped near and adjacent to Harney Lake. Harney County, Oregon. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harney County, Oregon, 1997.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon from 0 to 48 inches having an irregular decrease with depth of organic matter
ADDITIONAL DATA: USDA-SCS-NSSC-Soil Survey Laboratory: S93OR-025-007