LOCATION MELLOE OR
Established Series
IRD. RJO/DAL/KMS
02/2019
MELLOE SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--broad flood plains and meadows in mountain valleys
Slope--0 to 5 percent
Parent material--alluvium derived from mixed sources
Mean annual precipitation--about 580 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Typic Cryaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Melloe loam in a wet meadow, on a 0 percent slope at an elevation of 1439 m
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed plant material consisting of needles and twigs
A--3 to 33 cm; loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary
Bg--33 to 48 cm; clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many medium and coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary
2C--48 to 150 cm; very cobbly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; massive; very hard, firm to friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common fine roots; many coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) redoximorphic concentrations; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 10 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2)
TYPE LOCATION: Union County, Oregon, about 575 m east and 572 m south of the northwest corner of section 32, T. 4 S., R. 30 E.; latitude 45.1792245, longitude -119.1193338, datum WGS 84 (coordinates and PLSS details estimated from point on hard copy map)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--3 to 6 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Mean winter soil temperature--3 to 3 degrees C
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 45 cm
Depth to aquic conditions and redoximorphic concentrations--25 to 45 cm below the mineral soil surface
Depth to the 2C horizon (loamy-skeletal material)--40 to 63 cm below the mineral soil surface
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--18 to 30 percent
*Total rock fragment content--40 to 65 percent
A horizon
Moist color--5YR 3/1, 7.5YR 3/2, 10YR 3/1
Dry color--7.5YR 4/3, 7.5YR 5/2, 10YR 4/3, 10YR 5/1, 10YR 5/2
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, loam
Clay content--15 to 27 percent
Sand content--20 to 45 percent
Organic matter content--5 to 10 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 20 percent
Gravel content--0 to 20 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--25 to 48 cm
Bg horizon
Moist color--7.5YR 4/1, 10YR 4/1
Dry color--7.5YR 5/3, 10YR 4/3, 10YR 5/3, 10YR 6/3
Fine-earth texture--clay loam, loam
Clay content--15 to 35 percent
Sand content--35 to 45 percent
Organic matter content--2 to 6 percent
Total rock fragment content--5 to 30 percent
Gravel content--0 to 30 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Stone content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--15 to 36 cm
2C horizon
Moist color--5YR 2.5/2, 5YR 3/2, 7.5YR 3/2, 7.5YR 4/3
Dry color--7.5YR 5/2, 7.5YR 5/3, 7.5YR 5/4, 10YR 4/3, 10YR 5/3
Fine-earth texture--sandy clay loam, sandy loam, loam
Clay content--10 to 30 percent
Sand content--40 to 70 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 2.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--55 to 80 percent
Gravel content--20 to 55 percent
Cobble content--20 to 35 percent
Stone content--0 to 25 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES:
Bywell--less than 18 percent clay in particle-size control section
Finn--no distinct change in amount of rock fragments from solum to substratum
Lemroi--less than 18 percent clay in particle-size control section
Mahaffey--less than 18 percent clay in particle-size control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--840 to 1550 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; warm, wet summers
Mean annual precipitation--370 to 920 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 7 degrees C
Frost-free period--35 to 150 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bandarrow--on wet mountain meadows and flood plains of broad mountain valley floors
Dardry--on intermediate terraces; no volcanic ash; under
Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine
Limberjim--on adjacent colluvial forested footslopes that have north aspect; thick mantle of volcanic ash
Mugwump--on intermediate terraces in narrow mountain valleys; no volcanic ash; under grand fir and Engelmann spruce
Tamara--on high terraces; thick mantle of volcanic ash
Terrodd--on low terraces; no volcanic ash; under Engelmann spruce and grand fir
Tovame--on low terraces; under bluegrass and timothy meadow
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Saturation during normal years--30 cm to bottom of profile in March through June, 48 cm to bottom of profile in July through November and in February
Flooding--occasional, very brief periods in February through November
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high over high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--watershed, wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, recreation
Potential native vegetation--gray alder, panicled bulrush, Kentucky bluegrass, Cusick's sedge, tufted hairgrass, currant, starry false Solomon's seal, blue wildrye, sedge, softleaf sedge, largeleaf avens, cowparsnip, butterweed groundsel, Virginia strawberry, stinging nettle, field horsetail, tall mannagrass, Geyer's willow
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains; MLRA 10; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Umatilla County, Oregon; 2018
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 3 to 33 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 78 cm
*Aquic conditions and redoximorphic concentrations--zone from 33 to 150 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.