LOCATION KNOTMER ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Lithic Mollic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Knotmer very stony ashy sandy loam; rangeland, on a 2 percent northeast-facing slope at 4572 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures)
A--0 to 2 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very stony ashy sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine and common fine irregular pores; 10 percent subangular indurated basalt gravel, 10 percent subangular indurated basalt cobbles, and 15 percent subangular indurated basalt stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 nches thick)
AB--2 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and common fine irregular and pores; 30 percent subangular indurated basalt gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
2Bt--4 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent distinct clay films on surfaces along pores and 10 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 2 percent subangular indurated basalt gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt broken boundary. ( 0 to 4 inches thick)
2R--6 to 16 inches; indurated basalt bedrock, fractured at intervals of 18 to 40 inches.
TYPE LOCATION: about 6 miles north of Beatty, Oregon; about 510 feet south and 395 feet east of the northwest corner of section 17, T 35 S, R 12 E; (Latitude - 42 degrees, 32 minutes, 32.04 seconds N., Longitude - 121 degrees, 19 minutes, 41.63 seconds W.) Spodue Mountain, Oregon USGS quadrangle; UTM 637272 meters E, 4711337 meters N, zone 10 NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 43 to 47 degrees F.
Moisture control section - surface to the lithic contact - dry in all parts for 75 to 90 days within the four-month period following the summer solstice.
Depth indurated bedrock - 5 to 10 inches.
Argillic horizon is discontinuous in each pedon
Clay content in the particle-size control section, weighted average: 18 to 35 percent
Rock gragment content in the particle-size control section, weighted average: 5 to 35 percent
Organic matter content throughout the solum is 1 to 2 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR moist or dry
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3 moist, 2 to 4 dry
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Gravel content: 10 to 25 percent
Cobble content: 10 to 20 percent
Stone content: 5 to 15 percent
Boulder content: 0 to 1 percent
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 70 percent in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction
Ammonium oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe: 0.2 to 0.8 percent
Phosphate retention: 10 to 35 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.4)
AB horizon
Thickness - 3 to 7 cm
Hue - 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR moist; 7.5YR or 10YR dry
Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 to 4 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture - ashy loam or ashy clay loam
Clay content - 18 to 35 percent
Gravel content - 0 to 30 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 5 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent
Boulder content - 0 to 5 percent
Estimated properties:
Volcanic glass content - 10 to 30 percent in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction
Ammonium oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe: 0.2 to 0.8 percent
Phosphate retention: 10 to 35 percent
Reaction - slightly acid (pH 6.1 to 6.5)
2Bt horizon
Hue - 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR moist; 7.5YR or 10YR dry
Value - 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma - 2 to 4 moist, 3 or 4 dry
Fine-earth texture - clay loam or clay
Clay content - 30 to 50 percent
Durinodes - 0 to 2 percent very weakly to moderately cemented
Gravel content - 0 to 20 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 15 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent
Boulder content - 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: slightly acid (pH 6.1 to 6.5)
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Knotmer soils are in deflation basins on lava plateaus. Elevations range from 4,450 to 5,500 feet. The soils formed eolian deposits derived from volcanic rock and tephra over residuum derived from basalt. The climate is characterized by cold wet winters and hot dry summers. The average annual precipitation is 18 to 25 inches. The average annual temperature is 43 to 46 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Merlin, Yancy, and Maset soils. Merlin soils are on lava plateaus and are 10 to 20 inches deep to lithic basalt. Yancy soils are on alluvial fans and are 10 to 20 inches deep to a duripan. Maset soils are on air fall tephra fields and are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Knotmer soils are used mainly for limited livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The soils commonly support low sage, Sandberg bluegrass rock buckwheat, Sandberg bluegrass, and bigseed biscuitroot.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon; MLRA 21. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Klamath County, Oregon, 2006
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon
Argillic horizon - The zone from 4 to 6 inches
Lithic contact - The contact at 6 inches
Particle-size control section - The zone from the surface to 6 inches (A, AB, and Bt horizons). Weighted average rock fragment content is 29 percent.
Need to verify ashy or loamy placement in family. Need glass count in the A and AB horizons. If over 30 percent, then family is ashy not loamy.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
NASIS Site ID: 03-SMM-035
NASIS Pedon ID: 03OR681035