LOCATION KEERINS ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Calcic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Keerins channery ashy sandy clay loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 1 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) channery ashy sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine dendritic tubular pores; 28 percent channers and 2 percent flagstones; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy bounday. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bt--1 to 8 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) very flaggy sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine dendritic tubular pores; common faint patchy clay films on faces of peds, rock fragments and lining pores; 25 percent channers and 25 percent flagstones; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Btk1--8 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely channery sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine and fine dendritic tubular pores; common faint patchy clay films on faces of peds, rock fragments and lining pores; finely disseminated carbonates throughout; 60 percent channers, 25 percent flagstones; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Btk2--11 to16 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) extremely channery sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; very fine and fine granular structure; loose, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; very few very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; common clay films lining interstitial pores and on rock fragments; finely disseminated carbonates throughout; 50 percent channers and 30 percent flagstone; violently effervescent slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear irregular boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Cr--16 to18 inches; fractured moderately cemented calcareous sandstone. (1 to 10 inches thick)
R--18 inches; indurated calcareous sandstone
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon, about 3050 feet west and 140 feet north from the southeast corner of Sec. 4, T.18 S, R. 27 E
Latitude: 44 degrees, 01 minutes, 51.2 seconds North
Longitude: 119 degrees, 29 minutes, 17.0 seconds West
NAD 83
Northing: 4,878,313
Easting: 300,623
NAD 83
Zone 11
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 42 to 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture - dry 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Mollic epipedon - 5 to 12 inches thick
Depth to paralithic contact - 4 to 18 inches
Depth to lithic contact - 6 to 20 inches
Particle size control section clay content (weighted average) - 20 to 35 percent
Particle size control section rock fragment content (weighted average) - 35 to 80 percent
A horizon
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3, dry or moist
Fine-earth texture - ashy sandy clay loam, ashy loam, ashy sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content - 20 to 30 percent
Total rock fragment content - 5 to 30 percent
Channers - 5 to 20 percent
Flagstones- 0 to10 percent
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral
Bt horizon
Value - 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Fine-earth texture - clay loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content - 25 to 35 percent
Textural modifiers - very channery, very flaggy, extremely channery, or extremely flaggy
Total rock fragment content - 35 to 80 percent
Channers - 20 to 45 percent
Flagstones - 15 to 35 percent
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral
Btk1 to Btk2 horizons
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Fine-earth texture - clay loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content - 20 to 35 percent
Textural modifiers - very channery, very flaggy, extremely channery, or extremely flaggy
Total rock fragment content - 35 to 80 percent
Channers - 20 to 45 percent
Flagstones - 15 to 35 percent
Reaction - neutral to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - Keerins soils are on crests, nose slopes, interfluves and convex sideslopes on hills
Slope gradient - 0 to 65 percent
Parent material - colluvium and residuum from channery shale, sandstone, limestone, or conglomerate (a very minor influence of volcanic ash is present in the surface horizon of some pedons)
Elevation - 3400 to 5500 feet
Climate - cold, wet winters and hot, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation - 12 to 16 inches
Mean annual temperature - 39 to 46 degrees F.
Frost-free period - 40 to 100 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gerow, Izee, Logdell, and Utley soils. Gerow soils are very deep somewhat poorly drained and occur in drainageways. Izee soils are moderately deep and occur on north facing backslopes, footslopes, sideslopes, and headslopes. Logdell soils occur on convex nose slopes and crests and have a base saturation less than 75 percent in one or more horizons. Utley soils are deep and very deep and occur on toeslopes, footslopes, and baseslopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very high surface runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Keerins soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is mountain big sagebrush, antelope bitterbrush, Idaho fescue, and bluebunch wheatgrass. Low sagebrush may occur where bedrock is not highly fractured and is indurated.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and Eastern Oregon, MLRA 10. This soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Grant County, Oregon; 2010
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:
Mollic epipedon - zone from 0 to 11 inches, (A, Bt, and Btk1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - zone from 1 to 16 inches (Bt, Btk1, and Btk2 horizons)
Particle size control section - 1 to 16 inches