LOCATION LOUSECREEK ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy Aquandic Cryaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lousecreek diatomaceous clay--on a nearly level flood plain under marsh vegetation of sedges--pastureland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. When described on September 9, 1998 the soil was moist on the surface, dry in the subsoil and moist below 35 inches with a water table at 51 inches.)
Oe--0 to 2.5 inches; moderately decomposed plant material composed of roots and stems; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
A1--2.5 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) diatomaceous clay, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate thin platy structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many fine dendritic tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
A2--6 to 14 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) diatomaceous clay, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium and thin platy structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine dendritic tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
2AB--14 to 20 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) ashy clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak thin platy structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine dendritic tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
2Bw1--20 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine dendritic tubular and few fine interstitial pores; common medium to very coarse sand-sized light gray (10YR 7/2) grains of pumiceous volcanic ash; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
3Bw2--22 to 29 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; common medium to very coarse sand-sized light gray (10YR 7/2) grains of pumiceous volcanic ash; 92 and 85 percent volcanic glass in the very fine sand and fine sand fractions; common prominent yellow (10YR 7/6) masses of iron accumulation; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
3C1--29 to 31 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loamy sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; common medium to very coarse sand-sized light gray (10YR 7/2) grains of pumiceous volcanic ash; many prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) masses of iron and manganese accumulation; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary.
3C2--31 to 63 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loamy sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; common medium to very coarse sand-sized light gray (10YR 7/2) grains of pumiceous volcanic ash; common prominent yellow (10YR 7/6) masses of iron accumulation; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the C horizons is 25 to 40 inches)
4ABb--63 to 74 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial pores.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; on the Fremont National Forest in the valley of Sycan Marsh; approximately 400 feet north and 550 feet east of the southwest corner of section 3, T. 32 S., R. 14 E.; USGS Sycan Marsh East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; 42 degrees 49 minutes 8.92 seconds north latitude and 121 degrees 3 minutes 7.83 seconds west longitude, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - The moisture control section is saturated in winter and spring and is moist to saturated in summer and fall; Aquic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 40 to 44 degrees F.
Mean summer soil temperature - 41 to 43 degrees F.
Mollic epipedon thickness - 10 to 20 inches.
Other features - A buried soil is below 40 inches in some pedons.
A1 and A2 horizons - Value: 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry.
Chroma: 1 or 2, moist or dry.
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent.
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral.
Organic matter content: 4 to 10 percent.
Coarse silt plus sand content: 1 to 10 percent.
Other features: These horizons are high in diatoms, sponge spicules, and volcanic glass in the silt, very fine sand, and fine sand fractions.
2AB and 2Bw horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 3 through 6 moist, 4 through 8 dry.
Chroma: 1 through 3, moist or dry.
Texture: Ashy clay loam, ashy sandy clay loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy coarse sand.
Clay content: 5 to 35 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 90 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
3C horizons - Hue: 7.5YR through 2.5Y.
Value: 3 through 6 moist, 4 through 8 dry.
Chroma: 1 through 4 moist or dry.
Texture: Ashy coarse sand, ashy coarse sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, ashy clay loam, or ashy sandy clay loam.
Clay content: 5 to 35 percent.
Volcanic glass content: 30 to 90 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.
Pararock fragments: 0 to 20 percent pumice paragravel.
Reaction: Slightly acid through slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dismalswamp and Liart series. These soils do not have horizons of diatomaceous material in the upper part of the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lousecreek soils are on depressions and channels on flood plains. They formed in lacustrine deposits and alluvium derived from volcanic ash. The source of the volcanic ash is ancestral Mount Mazama in the Cascade Range. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 4,900 to 5,000 feet. The climate is characterized by cold, snowy winters and cool, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 14 to 16 inches, the mean annual temperature is 40 to 44 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 30 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Tulepasture soil. Tulepasture soils have thin histic epipedons and a peraquic moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained or very poorly drained; negligible surface runoff; moderately slow permeability (moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity). Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between the soil surface and 1.5 feet (very shallow and shallow free water occurrence classes) between December and August. Cumulative annual duration class is Persistent. These soils are susceptible to frequent ponding for very long duration from December through August with water up to one-half foot deep. Flooding is rare.
USE AND VEGETATION: Lousecreek soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is inflated sedge and beaked sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are not extensive. MLRA 6.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.
SERIES PROPOSED: Lake County (Fremont National Forest Area), Oregon, 1998.
REMARKS: This series would qualify for a strongly contrasting family of clayey over ashy if such a class existed in Soil Taxonomy. The mineralogy class of the upper part of the control section would be diatomaceous if the class was allowed in Mollisols, otherwise the class would be mixed.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from 2.5 to 20 inches (A1, A2, and 2AB horizons).
Aquic conditions - The conditions of endosaturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features between the soil surface and 74 inches at certain times during normal years.
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (2AB, 2Bw1, 3Bw2, and 3C1 horizons and parts of the A2 and 3C2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: A reference pedon of Lousecreek has partial characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S97OR-037-003 (pedon # 98P0141). The pedon has two horizons sampled at depths of 4 to 12 and 12 to 17 inches. Volcanic glass content was also determined locally on two horizons of the typical pedon by optical grain counts using a polarizing petrographic microscope.