LOCATION LEGLER OR

Established Series
Rev. REH/JSC/RWL
04/2011

LEGLER SERIES

The Legler series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium from sedimentary tuffaceous rocks. Legler soils are on incised flood plains, terraces and fans and have slopes of 0 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Haplocambids

TYPICAL PEDON: Legler loam, rangeland, on a 6 percent slope at an elevation of 2,040 feet. (When described on October 19, 1999, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bw--8 to 38 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 40 inches thick)

Bk--38 to 50 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine and medium sub angular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; slightly effervescent; few faint soft powdery masses of lime; 10 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)

Bw--50 to 60 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon; about 7 miles south of the community of Kimberly along Highway 19, 50 feet north and 1,400 feet east of the southwest corner of section 31, T.10S., R.26E. (Latitude 44 degrees, 39 minutes, and 12 seconds N. and Longitude 119 degrees, 38 minutes, and 52 seconds W.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soils are moist in winter and spring. They are warmer than 41 degrees F from April 1 to November 1, and they are dry within this period after July 1. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. The solum is 40 to 60 inches thick. Depth to secondary carbonates is typically 10 to 40 inches but may range to 50 inches in some pedons. The particle-size control section is 18 to 35 percent clay, more than 15 percent sand coarser than very fine sand, and 0 to 15 percent gravel.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7 dry and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 1 through 4 moist and dry. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, silt loam, or loam with 0 to 25 percent gravel and 15 to 30 percent clay. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.

The Bw and Bk horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 5 through 8 dry and 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry and moist. The hue is inherited from the parent material. It is silty clay loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam or loam in the upper part and ranges to sandy loam and sandy clay loam in the lower part. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

The Bw or C horizon, when present, is at depth of 40 to over 60 inches. Hue is 7.5YR to 2.5Y. It is loam, silty clay loam or sandy clay loam with 20 to 30 percent clay and 0 to 30 percent gravel.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ardnas, Ferdelford, Eastable, North Powder, Oxman and Pocan series. Ardnas soils have a solum thickness of 12 to 40 inches. Ferdelford soils are 24 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. North Powder and Oxman soils are 20 to 40 inches deep over a paralithic contact. Pocan soils have bedrock at depths of 40 to 60 inches and have a solum 20 to 38 inches thick. Eastable soils have a solum thickness of 14 to 24 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Legler soils are on the lower parts of alluvial fans, terraces and on incised flood plains. Elevation is 1,800 to 4,630 feet. Slopes are 0 to 20 percent. The soils formed in alluvium from reddish, greenish, and brownish hue parent material weathered from the John Day Formation. The climate is characterized by warm dry summers and cold moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 8 to 15 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F, mean January temperature is 29 to 31 degrees F, and the mean July temperature is 63 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Courtrock, Day, Encina, Hack, Luce, Simas, Virtue, and Willowdale soils. Courtrock, Encina, Hack, Simas, and Willowdale soils have a mollic epipedon. Day soils are more than 60 percent clay and have slickensides. Luce soils are fine-silty. Encina soils are in the fine family. Virtue soils are 20 to 40 inches to a duripan and are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderately slow to moderate. This soil is subject to none to rare flooding depending on stream incision and down-cutting.

USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used mainly for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and dryland hay and wheat. Native vegetation mainly is basin wildrye, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, and big bluegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and Eastern, Oregon; MLRA 10. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baker County, Oregon; 1988.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - from 8 to 60 inches
Carbonate accumulation - from 38 to 50 inches

ADDITIONAL DATA: Sample numbers 83P 245-249; S 82OR-001-004; from Baker County, Oregon. Analysis indicates poor dispersion; use 15 bar H2O x 2.0 for clay.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.