LOCATION LIZARD OR
Established Series
IRD. JLW/RJO/DAL/KMS
01/2019
LIZARD SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--terraces on mountain valleys, dissected terraces of Tertiary valley fill
Slope--0 to 60 percent
Parent material--loess over alluvium and lacustrine deposits derived from hard igneous extrusive rock or metavolcanic rock with an influence of volcanic ash in the upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 420 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, frigid Vitrandic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lizard gravelly ashy loam in an area of rangeland, on a 30-percent, west-facing slope at an elevation of 1427 m
A1--0 to 18 cm; gravelly ashy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common fine and few medium irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary
A2--18 to 25 cm; gravelly ashy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common or many very fine and fine roots; few fine irregular and tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary
2E--25 to 46 cm; very gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary
2Bt1--46 to 76 cm; very gravelly silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate and strong fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; many thick clay films on faces of peds; few very fine roots throughout and few fine and medium roots in cracks; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary
2Bt2--76 to 155 cm; very gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few moderately thick and many thin clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon, about 250 m east and 150 m south of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 14 S., R. 37 E.; Rastus Mountain U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle; latitude 44.3564084, longitude -118.1695449, datum WGS 84 (coordinates and PLSS details estimated from a point on a hard copy map)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--about 7 to 8 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--about 16 to 18 degrees C
Mean winter soil temperature--about -4 to -1 degrees C
Soil moisture--dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 40 cm
Thickness of argillic horizon--30 to 110 cm
Linear extensibility between the mineral soil surface and a depth of 100 cm--4 to 6 cm
Thickness of ash-influenced layers--25 to 40 cm
Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe--0.3 to 0.8 percent
*Glass content in 0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction-- 5 to 15 percent
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--35 to 45 percent
*Total rock fragment content--45 to 65 percent
A1 horizon
Moist color--10YR 2/2, 10YR 3/2
Dry color--10YR 4/2, 10YR 5/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy loam, ashy silt loam
Clay content--8 to 16 percent
Sand content--25 to 50 percent
Organic matter content--2 to 6 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 30 percent
Gravel content--15 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
A2 horizon
Moist color--10YR 3/2, 10YR 3/3
Dry color--10YR 4/2, 10YR 5/2
Fine-earth texture--ashy loam, ashy silt loam
Clay content--11 to 20 percent
Sand content--5 to 50 percent
Organic matter content--2 to 4 percent
Total rock fragment content--15 to 45 percent
Gravel content--15 to 35 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness of A horizon--25 to 40 cm
2E horizon
Moist color--10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4
Dry color--10YR 6/3
Fine-earth texture--loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content--12 to 27 percent
Sand content--25 to 55 percent
Organic matter content--1 to 2 percent
Total rock fragment content--35 to 55 percent
Gravel content--25 to 55 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--13 to 25 cm
2Bt1 horizon
Moist color--10YR 4/3, 10YR 4/6, 10YR 5/4, 10YR 5/6
Dry color--10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4, 10YR 6/4, 10YR 7/3, 10YR 7/4
Fine-earth texture--clay, silty clay
Clay content--40 to 55 percent
Sand content--5 to 40 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 2.0 percent
Total rock fragment content--50 to 75 percent
Gravel content--30 to 55 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.6 to 7.3
Thickness--30 to 90 cm
2Bt2 horizon
Moist color--10YR 5/4, 10YR 5/6
Dry color--10YR 5/4, 10YR 6/4
Fine-earth texture--sandy clay loam, clay loam
Clay content--25 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 65 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 1.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--50 to 75 percent
Gravel content--30 to 70 percent
Cobble content--0 to 20 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.8
COMPETING SERIES:
Bler--moderately deep (50 to 100 cm) to paralithic contact (tuffaceous material)
Nohelp--mollic epipedon 50 to 75 cm thick; no eluvial E horizon; discontinuity between upper part and top of argillic horizon
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1410 to 1600 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--360 to 480 mm
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free period--40 to 80 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Campcreek--on dissected terraces in areas where alluvium has eroded to expose lacustrine sediment; less than 35 percent rock fragments in particle-size control section; under similar vegetation
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Saturation during normal years--none
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--watershed, wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, recreation
Native vegetation-- bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, elk sedge, common snowberry, prairie Junegrass, Idaho fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, white spirea, Wyeth buckwheat, common yarrow, brome, cinquefoil, lupine, phlox, serrate balsamroot, biscuitroot, pale agoseris, arrowleaf balsamroot, hawksbeard, fleabane
Plant association--dominantly ARTRV/FEID (mountain big sagebrush/Idaho fescue); may include FEID/PSSP6 (Idaho fescue/bluebunch wheatgrass)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Foothills of Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon; MLRA 10; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Oregon; 2018
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 25 cm
*Eluvial horizon--zone from 25 to 46 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 46 to 155 cm
*Volcanic glass--zone from the surface to a depth of 25 cm
*Pale great group feature--absolute clay increase of 27 to 55 percent between E and Bt1 horizons
*Particle-size control section--zone from 46 to 96 cm
*Estimated linear extensibility from the mineral soil surface to a depth of 100 cm--4.5 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.