LOCATION MOE                     OR

Established Series
Rev. CK/TDT/RWL
06/2011

MOE SERIES


The Moe series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum weathered mostly from tuffs and breccias. Moe soils are on uplands and have slopes of 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 80 inches and the mean annual temperature is 45 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, isotic, frigid Andic Humudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Moe gravelly medial loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed litter of fir needles, twigs and leaves.

A1--1 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly medial loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; very friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many fine and medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent (2 to 4 millimeters) gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

A2--10 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly medial loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common medium and large roots; many fine irregular pores; 25 percent (2 to 4 millimeters) gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bw1--16 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common medium and large roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) coatings on surface of peds; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Bw2--25 to 42 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few large roots; common very fine tubular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 17 inches thick)

BC--42 to 62 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; common medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox features; few partially weathered siltstone fragments (10 to 50 millimeters in size); very strongly acid (pH 4.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Linn County, Oregon; about 1 1/2 miles northeast of Swamp Mountain; northwest 1/4 southeast 1/4, sec. 22, T. 14 S., R. 3 E., W. M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 47 degrees F. The soil is usually moist; it is dry between depths of 4 and 12 inches during the summer for a short period of less than 45 consecutive days. The thickness of the solum ranges from 40 to 60 inches of more. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The umbric epipedon is 15 to 20 inches thick. Partially weathered rock fragments range from a few in the upper part of the solum to 35 percent in the lower part.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. It has 15 to 35 percent fine concretions and gravel. It is estimated to have acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half the iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent and less than 2.0 cmol per kg fine earth of 1N KCL extractable aluminum.

The Bw and BC horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR and chroma of 3 or 4 moist or dry. It is silty clay loam, clay loam or silty clay and averages 35 to 45 percent clay.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moe soils are on uplands at elevations of 2,800 to 3,600 feet. Slopes range from 2 to 75 percent. The soils formed in deep fine textured colluvium and residuum weathered dominantly from tuffaceous sandstone, siltstone, and basalt breccia. The climate is characterized by cool wet winters and warm moist summers. The mean annual precipitation is 70 to 90 inches occurring as rain in the spring and autumn and rain and snow in the winter. The mean January temperature is about 35 degrees F, mean July temperature is about 62 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 43 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Flane soils; they are clayey-skeletal and have an ochric epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: The Moe soils are used mainly for timber production, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The tree canopy is principally Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western redcedar with an understory of Pacific rhododendron, western swordfern, cascade Oregongrape and tall blue and red huckleberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central part of the western Oregon Cascade Mountains; MLRA 3. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Linn County, Oregon, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Umbric epipedon - from 1 to 16 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)

Cambic horizon - from 16 to 62 inches

Andic feature - from 1 to 16 inches (A1 and A2) having a moist bulk density of 0.85 to 0.95 grams per cubic centimeter and an estimated acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.