LOCATION KAHLER OR+UT
Established Series
Rev. REH/AON/RWL
02/2013
KAHLER SERIES
The Kahler series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils that formed in loess and ash mixed with colluvium weathered mainly from basic igneous and metamorphic rocks. Kahler soils are on plateaus, canyons, hills and mountains. Slopes are 2 to 90 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kahler ashy silt loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 8 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 27 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 13 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--13 to 22 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) ashy silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine to medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 9 to 34 inches)
2C1--22 to 35 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2C2--35 to 48 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel and cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C3--48 to 56 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
3C4--56 to 64 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/2); massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 7.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon; about 4.5 miles northwest of the community of Ritter; 1,300 feet east of Threemile School and 600 feet south of County Road 15; 2,300 feet south and 1,500 feet east of the NW corner of Section 27, T. 7 S., R. 29 E. Latitude 44 degrees, 55 minutes, 54 seconds North, Longitude 119 degrees, 13 minutes, 00 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock commonly is 60 inches or more but ranges to 40 inches in some pedons. The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 47 degrees F. Kahler soils are dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days between depths of 4 and 12 inches. Thickness of the solum is 20 to 60 inches. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 40 inches thick and contains 10 to 20 percent volcanic glass and 0.4 to 1.0 percent acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay, more than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand, and a weighted average of less than 35 percent rock fragments. It is moderately acid to neutral throughout. Oi horizons are present in many areas. Base saturation by sum is less then 75 percent in some part of the solum between 10 and 30 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 1 to 3 moist and 2 or 3 dry. It is ashy silt loam or ashy loam and has 0 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones and clay content is 15 to 27 percent.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is ashy silt loam, ashy loam, ashy clay loam or ashy silty clay loam, gravelly ashy loam, gravelly ashy clay loam or gravelly ashy silty clay loam. It has 0 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones and clay content is 20 to 30 percent. In some pedons, gravel may range to 40 percent below 40 inches.
The 2C horizons, when present, are loam, sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam or sandy clay loam and has 10 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles and clay content is 18 to 35 percent.
The 3C horizon (unweathered ash layer) is not present in all pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Buford,
Derr (T), Hall Ranch,
Highvalley, McGarr,
Minam and
Myzel (T) series. Buford soils are similar and are defined as 40 to 60 inches deep to a lithic contact; a 2Bwb horizon is present over the bedrock with 40 to 50 percent clay. The lithic bedrock substratum phase of Kahler should be correlated to Buford. Derr and McGarr soils are 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact. Hall Ranch soils are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Highvalley soils have 50 to 75 percent base saturation, are dry for 45 to 75 consecutive days and have vitrandic properties to a depth of 40 to 60 inches. Minam soils have base saturation of over 75 percent, are 20 to 36 inches to a contrasting 2C horizon with hue of 5YR and 25 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles, and 0 to 15 percent stones, and have 20 to 30 percent volcanic glass in the A horizon. Myzel series have redox features at depths of 30 to 48 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kahler soils are on back slopes of plateaus, canyons, hills, and mountains. Elevations range from 2,000 to 6,000 feet. Slope are 2 to 90 percent. The soil formed in loess and ash mixed with colluvium weathered mainly from basic igneous and metamorphic rocks. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 45 inches. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F, the mean July temperature is about 63 degrees F, and the mean January temperature is about 25 degrees F. The frost-free period is 20 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Brownlee, Hall Ranch,
Klicker,
Lamondi,
Tolo and
Top soils. Brownlee soils have argillic horizons. Hall Ranch and Klicker soils have bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches and have epipedons less than 20 inches thick. Klicker and Top soils have argillic horizons. Lamondi soils are loamy-skeletal. Tolo soils are ashy over loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for timber production, limited cropland, livestock grazing, watershed, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Many areas with slopes of less than 15 percent have been cleared and produce dryland hay and grain, or irrigated crops. The native vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, pinegrass and elk sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central and northeastern Oregon and northern Utah; MLRA 10 47. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morgan County, Utah, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 22 inches (A, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 0 to 22 inches based on lab data from similar soils (A, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)
Ultic feature - the zone from 8 to 35 inches having a base saturation (sum) of less than 75 percent
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
This series has been previously reclassified from Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls to Vitrandic Haploxerolls based on the Andisol Order.
Lithic and paralithic bedrock substratum phases are recognized within the range of the series.
It is recommended the series be defined as very deep and the lithic and paralithic bedrock substratum phases be correlated to the Buford Series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL reference samples 81T7643-7646 Umatilla County, Oregon.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.