LOCATION KAWAK OR
Tentative Series
IRD. AGG/DEW
08/2025
KAWAK SERIES
Landscape--Eastern Cascade mountains, Paulina mountains
Landform--lava flows, lava plains, mountain slopes, or knobs
Slope--0 to 50 percent slopes
Parent Material--volcanic ash over basaltic bedrock
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 810 mm
Mean annual air temperature--5.8 degrees C
Depth class--shallow
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy Lithic Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Kawak ashy sandy loam, forested, on a 12 percent slope at an elevation of 1354 meters. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 centimeter; slightly decomposed plant material; strongly acid (pH 5.5); abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--1 to 12 centimeters; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and few medium roots throughout; many very fine tubular and few fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine pumice paragravel and 1 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary.
A2--12 to 29 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy loamy sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and medium, many fine and few coarse roots throughout; few fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; 4 percent fine pumice paragravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary.
Bw--29 to 42 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy loamy sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parts to single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots throughout; few fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine pumice paragravel, 5 percent gravel, and 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt irregular boundary.
2R--42 centimeters; basalt bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Deschutes County, Oregon; NW 1/4, SW 1/4 section 22, T. 20 S, R. 11 E; Latitude 43.825023, Longitude -121.4063240 datum WGS84 (coordinates determined with a GPS).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--5.2 to 7.6 degrees C
Soil moisture--usually moist in winter and spring, dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 days in the 4 months following the summer solstice
Depth to lithic contact--25 to 50 cm
Thickness of ash influenced layers--25 to 50 cm
Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + Fe--0.4 to 1.6 percent
1500 kPa water content (air dry)--3 to 12 percent
0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction--60 to 95 percent
Medium to very coarse sand in the .02 to 2.0 mm fraction--greater than 50 percent
Volcanic glass in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction--40 to 80 percent
P retention--25 to 35 percent
Particle-size control section: mineral soil surface to lithic contact
Clay content, weighted average--1 to 8 percent
Fragment content, weighted average--0 to 35 percent
A horizons
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Fine earth texture--ashy loamy sand or ashy sandy loam
Clay content--1 to 8 percent
Sand content--60 to 90 percent
Organic matter--1 to 4 percent
Total fragment content--0 to 30 percent
Gravel--0 to 20 percent
Pumice paragravel--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3 (slightly acid to neutral)
Thickness--combined thickness of A horizons is 18 to 30 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--3 or 4
Fine earth texture--ashy loamy sand or ashy sand
Clay content--1 to 8 percent
Sand content--70 to 90 percent
Organic matter--0.1 to 0.5 percent
Total fragment content--0 to 35 percent
Gravel--0 to 25 percent
Pumice paragravel--0 to 10 percent
Cobble--0 to 10 percent
Stone--0 to 5 percent
Pumice paragravel--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3 (slightly acid to neutral)
Thickness--10 to 20 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1250 to 1750 m
Climate--cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 810 mm
Mean annual air temperature--5.0 to 6.2 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 70 days
Lithology--volcanic ash derived from Mazama
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Pitsua--occurs on lava flows, mountain slopes, knobs; 50 to 100 cm to lithic contact
Shroyton--occurs on mountain slopes; 100 to 150 cm to lithic contact
Wanoga--occurs at lower elevations on lava flows; 50 to 100 cm to lithic contact
Henkle--occurs at lower elevations on lava flows; greater than 35% fragments in the particle size control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high to very high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--timber production, wildlife habitat
Vegetation--lodgepole pine, Ponderosa pine, white fir, antelope bitterbrush, greenleaf manzanita, western needlegrass. bottlebrush squirreltail
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon; MLRA 06; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES PROPOSED:
Deschutes County, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon 2025; name derived from Kawak Butte in Newberry Volcanic National Monument
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section--1 to 42 cm (A1, A2, Bw horizons)
Ochric epipedon-- 1 to 29 cm (A1 and A2 horizons)
Andic soil properties--1 to 42 cm (A1, A2, and Bw horizons)
Lithic contact--42 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.