LOCATION MOUNTIRELAND            OR

Established Series
IRD. RJO/DAL/KMS
02/2019

MOUNTIRELAND SERIES

Landscape--mountains, plateaus
Landform--mountain slopes, plateaus
Slope--0 to 30 percent
Parent material--thick mantle of volcanic ash over colluvium and residuum derived from andesite or basalt
Mean annual precipitation--about 750 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 3 degrees C
Depth class--deep to paralithic contact
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, amorphic over isotic Alfic Vitricryands

TYPICAL PEDON: Mountireland ashy silt loam in an area of woodland, on a 5-percent, south-facing slope at an elevation of 1789 m

Oi--0 to 3 cm; needles and leaves

Bw1--3 to 33 cm; ashy silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary

Bw2--33 to 43 cm; ashy silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine angular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots throughout; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary

2Eb--43 to 69 cm; gravelly sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; many fine and common medium irregular pores; 20 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary

2Btb--69 to 119 cm; silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common prominent clay films on ped faces; few fine roots throughout; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary

2BCtb--119 to 142 cm; silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few faint clay films on ped faces; no roots or pores; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual smooth boundary

2Cr--142 cm; weathered andesite

TYPE LOCATION: Union County, Oregon, about 360 m west and 755 m south of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 6 S., R. 35 E.; latitude 45.002797, longitude -118.5017459, datum WGS 84 (coordinates and PLSS details estimated from a rough location on a hard copy map)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--2 to 5 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Mean winter soil temperature--0 to 2 degrees C
Soil moisture--dry 30 to 45 days in summer
Depth to paralithic contact--100 to 150 cm
Thickness of ash-influenced layers--36 to 50 cm

Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Ammonium oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe--1.5 to 3.0 percent
*0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction--40 to 60 percent
*Glass content in 0.02- to 2.0-mm fraction--60 to 90 percent
*1/3-bar bulk density--0.70 to 1.00 g/cm3
*Phosphate retention--60 to 90 percent
*15-bar water retention--5 to 12 percent (dried samples)
*8 x Si plus 2 x Fe--5 to 12 percent

Particle-size control section
*Clay content--2 to 6 percent in ashy upper part, 18 to 30 percent in lower part
*Total rock fragment content--0 percent in upper ashy part, 0 to 20 percent in lower part

Bw horizon
Moist color--10YR 3/4, 10YR 4/6, 10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4
Dry color--10YR 5/6, 10YR 6/3, 10YR 6/4, 10YR 7/4
Fine-earth texture--ashy silt loam
Clay content--2 to 7 percent
Sand content--20 to 40 percent
Organic matter content--1.0 to 3.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Gravel content--0 to 5 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5
Thickness--20 to 50 cm

2Eb horizon, and 2ABb or 2AEb horizon (where present)
Moist color--7.5YR 3/4, 7.5YR 4/3, 10YR 3/2, 10YR 3/3, 10YR 3/4, 10YR 4/2, 10YR 4/4, 2.5Y 5/2
Dry color--7.5YR 5/6, 7.5YR 6/3, 10YR 4/4, 10YR 5/3, 10YR 5/4, 10YR 6/3, 10YR 7/2
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, sandy loam, loam
Clay content--8 to 24 percent
Sand content--35 to 55 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 2.0 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 25 percent
Gravel content--0 to 20 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5
Thickness--15 to 38 cm

2Btb horizon
Moist color--5YR 3/3, 7.5YR 3/4, 7.5YR 4/4, 10YR 4/4, 2.5Y 5/4
Dry color--5YR 5/3, 7.5YR 4/6, 7.5YR 5/4, 10YR 5/6, 10YR 6/3, 10YR 6/4
Fine-earth texture--clay loam, loam, silty clay loam
Clay content--19 to 33 percent
Sand content--15 to 40 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 1.5 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent
Gravel content--0 to 14 percent
Cobble content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 6.5
Thickness--30 to 56 cm

2BCtb horizon
Moist color--7.5YR 3/4, 7.5YR 4/2, 10YR 5/2, 10YR 5/8, 2.5Y 5/4
Dry color--7.5YR 4/6, 7.5YR 6/2, 10YR 6/4, 10YR 6/6, 2.5Y 6/4
Fine-earth texture--silt loam, loam
Clay content--17 to 27 percent
Sand content--25 to 50 percent
Organic matter content--0.5 to 1.0 percent
Total rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent
Gravel content--0 to 35 percent
Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 6.5
Thickness--23 to 51 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
Icedee--100 to 200 cm (deep, very deep) to a paralithic contact (tuff); ashy silt loam and amorphic mineralogy in upper part of particle-size control section; argillic horizon that is 35 to 50 percent clay in lower part of particle-size control section; formed in volcanic ash over clay-producing soft tuff

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1460 to 2020 m
Climate--cold, wet winters; cool, moist summers
Mean annual precipitation--480 to 1400 mm
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free period--25 to 75 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Downeygulch--on convex to planar shoulder slopes; open canopy forest; influence of ash; 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (basalt); 45 to 60 dry days in summer
McNamee--occur on steep planar to convex backslopes and have less than 14 inches of volcanic ash; more than 35 percent rock fragments in particle-size control section
Mountemily--on planar to concave backslopes; volcanic ash over colluvium derived from basalt; skeletal below ash mantle
Pinuscreek--on convex to planar, shoulder slopes at lower elevations and on south aspects; volcanic ash less than 36 cm thick; more than 35 percent rock fragments in particle-size control section; frigid temperature regime; 45 to 60 dry days in summer
Troutmeadows--on planar to convex ridges and benches; 50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to lithic contact (basalt); cambic horizon; more than 35 percent rock fragments in lower part of particle-size control section

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Saturation during normal years--none
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high, high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, recreation
Potential native vegetation--lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, grand fir, western larch, Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, grouse huckleberry, big huckleberry, heartleaf arnica, skunkleaf polemonium, queencup bead lily, prickly currant, western bugbane, violet, Columbia brome, prince's pine, Piper's anemone, pyrola, meadow-rue, darkwoods violet, northern twinflower, pink mountain-heather, myrtle pachystima, pinegrass

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon; MLRA 10; small extent

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grant County, Oregon; 2018

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Cambic horizon--zone from 3 to 43 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 69 to 142 cm
*Volcanic ash--zone from 3 to 43 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from 3 to 43 cm
*Ashy part of particle-size control section--zone from 3 to 103 cm

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.