LOCATION LEATHERS OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Sodic Xeric Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Leathers silt loam - rangeland, on a 2 percent slope at an elevation of 4112 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; slight effervescence; trace of calcium carbonate; SAR is 12; EC is 1.84 mmhos/cm; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bw1--2 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine vesicular pores; SAR is 22; EC is 2.16 mmhos/cm; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.4); clear smooth boundary.
2Bw2--9 to 13 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent; calcium carbonate is 1 percent; SAR is 20; EC is 4.83 mmhos/cm; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 9 to 15 inches thick.)
2Bk--13 to 24 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; strongly effervescent with carbonates in filaments; calcium carbonate is 3 percent; SAR is 63; EC is 15.02 mmhos/cm; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick.)
2Bkq--24 to 28 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 60 percent durinodes; strongly effervescent with carbonates in filaments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
3Bk1--28 to 46 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single-grained; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent with carbonates in filaments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); gradual smooth boundary.
4Bk2--46 to 52 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; strongly effervescent with carbonates in filaments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the 3Bk and 4Bk horizon is 15 to 25 inches thick.)
5C--52 to 61 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Typical pedon of Leathers silt loam, about 7 miles west of The Narrows townsite, about 550 feet south and 700 feet east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 26 S., R. 30 E., on the Northeast Harney Lake quadrangle. (Latitude 43 degrees, 17 minutes, 36 seconds N, Longitude 119 degrees, 5 minutes, 44 seconds W 1927 NAD)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are dry for one-half to three-fourths of the time when the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. Bedrock is at a depth of greater than 60 inches. The particle-size control section averages 0 to 10 percent gravel, and 10 to 18 percent clay. It is strongly or very strongly alkaline throughout.
The A horizon has chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It has 0 to 5 percent gravel. Clay content is 10 to 20 percent. SAR is 10 to 13.
The Bw and Bk horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It has 0 to 5 percent gravel. It is silt loam in the upper part and loam or sandy loam in the lower part with 10 to 20 percent clay. SAR is 13 to 70.
The Bkq horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It has 0 to 10 percent gravel. Clay content is 10 to 18 percent. It has SAR of 20 to 70.
The 3Bk and 4Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y. It is loamy fine sand, loam, or sandy loam. It has 0 to 10 percent rock fragments. Clay content is 5 to 18 percent. Sand content is 45 to 80 percent. SAR is 20 to 50.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leathers soils are on lake terraces and have slopes of 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in lacustrine sediments from mixed igneous rock sources. Elevations are 4,000 to 4,500 feet. The climate is characterized by cool, moist winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches. The mean amnual temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. The frost free period is 80 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alvodest, Goldrun, Outerkirk, and Poujade soils. Alvodest soils are in the fine particle-size family and are somewhat poorly drained. Goldrun soils have sands and loamy sands in the particle-size control section and are on sand dunes. Outerkirk soils lack the strong sodic properties. Poujade soils are moderately well drained and in the fine-loamy particle size class family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils ae used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is black greasewood, spiny hopsage, shadscale, and basin wildrye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Pleistocene lake basins of southeast Oregon; MLRA 24. The 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:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - from 2 to 13 inches (Bw1, 2Bw2 horizons)
Sodic- SAR is over 13 from 2 to 52 inches
Aridic/xeric soil moisture regime
CEC activity class is superactive
Particle-size control section - from 10 to 40 inches (2Bkn1, 2Bkn2, 2Bkq, and 3Bk1 horizons) averages about 13 percent clay
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data is available for this pedon. Reference sample S89-025-001 from Harney County, Oregon, NSSL, Lincoln, NE.