LOCATION MORNINGSTAR OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Ultic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Morningstar extremely gravelly loam - woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1; partially decomposed needles, leaves and twigs.
A1--1 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely gravelly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A2--7 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
Bt1--16 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; many fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 33 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 55 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt3--33 to 47 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few medium and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; many prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
C--47 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon; SW1/4NE1/4SW1/4SE1/4 sec. 18, T. 11 S., R. 37 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist but are dry between depths of 4 to 12 inches for 60 to 80 consecutive days during the summer. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 42 to 47 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is 40 to over 60 inches. Depth to the Bt horizon is 10 to 20 inches. Coarse fragments range from 40 to 80 percent in the control section. Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches. The solum ranges from neutral to slightly acid and is less than 50 inches thick.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It has 55 to 65 percent gravel and 5 to 10 percent cobbles.
The Bt horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam or loam, averaging 25 to 35 percent clay and 40 to 60 percent sand. It has 50 to 60 percent gravel and 5 to 20
percent cobbles.
The C horizon has value of 5 or 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam, averaging 15 to 25 percent clay and 45 to 60 percent sand. It has 50 to 60 percent gravel and 5 to
20 percent cobbles or stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Apmat, Durst, Fergie, Fraval, Henhoit, Kalo, Little Wood, Mulshoe, Sapkin and Sattley series. The Apmat soils have less than 18 percent clay in the textural control section. Durst, Kalo, Mulshoe and Sapkin soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Fergie soils are dry 90 to 120 days during the summer and do not have O horizons. Fraval soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Henhoit soils have solums thicker than 50 inches. Sattleg soils are dry for more than 80 consecutive days during the summer. Little Wood soils are less than 34 inches deep to the base of the argillic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Morningstar soils are on side slopes of forested areas. Slopes are 12 to 60 percent. Elevations range from 4,000 to 5,700 feet. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum weathered mainly from argillite and
rhyolitic tuffs and breccias. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 30 inches. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 50 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Boiler,
Derringer,
Hankins,
Harlow, and
Hudspeth soils. Boiler soils are clayey-skeletal, have an argillic horizon with a clayey particle-size class and abrupt textural boundary, and
are mapped on adjacent north slopes. Derringer soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact and are clayey-skeletal. Hankins soils are nonskeletal, have an argillic horizon with a clayey particle-size class and abrupt textural boundary, and are mapped on adjacent tops and north slopes. Harlow soils are 10 to 20 inches deep to a lithic contact. Hudspeth soils are 20 to 40 inches deep
to a lithic contact and have an argillic horizon with a clayey particle-size class and abrupt textural boundary.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for timber production. The vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, snowberry, spirea, wax currant, serviceberry, bitterbrush, elk sedge, pinegrass, lupine, heartleaf arnica and wild strawberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous areas of eastern Oregon. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baker County Area, Oregon; 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 1 to 16 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 16 to 47 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons).
Ultic feature - base saturation between 60 and 75 percent in some horizon within the upper 30 inches of the profile.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Laboratory samples 85P1558 - 1561; samples are taken from series type location.