LOCATION MUES OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over loamy-skeletal, ferrihydritic over isotic, isomesic Aquic Fulvudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Mues medialsilt loam, pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) medial silt loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate very fine granular and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary.
A--6 to 11 inches; very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) medial silt loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 20 inches)
AB-11 to 25 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) medial silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
Bw1--25 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) medial silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--31 to 36 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) medial silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic and weakly smeary; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) redox concentrations; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 8 to 12 inches)
2C--36 to 60 inches; pale brown and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/3 and 6/4) very gravelly loam, light gray and very pale brown (10YR 7/2 and 7/3) dry; strongly consolidated; extremely hard, extremely firm; 45 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) redox concentrations; very strongly acid (pH 4.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Clatsop County, Oregon, about 125 feet NE of house near Lewis and Clark River in NW1/4NW1/4NE1/4 section 18, T. 7 N., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is usually moist and is dry between the depths of about 4 and 12 inches less than 45 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F. Under native vegetation, the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is 5 to 9 degrees F. The umbric epipedon is 20 to 30 inches thick. Depth to the massive consolidated substratum is 25 to 40 inches. The solum has less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand and has a moist bulk density of 0.75 to 0.85g/cubic centimeter. It is estimated to have a phosphate retention of more than 85 percent and acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of more than 2.0 percent. The solum is extremely acid or very strongly acid. Depth to redoximorphic concentrations is 24 to 36 inches.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. Clay content is 15 to 25 percent by field estimate. Organic matter is 8 to 12 percent.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. Clay content is 15 to 25 percent by field estimate.
The 2C horizon has value of 6 or 7 moist and dry and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is strongly consolidated with 40 to 65 percent gravel and 5 to 15 percent cobbles. It is very gravelly loam or extremely gravelly loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mues soils are on stream terraces at elevations of 25 to 500 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in mixed alluvium over older gravelly consolidated alluvium. The climate is characterized by cool wet winters and cool moist summers. The average annual precipitation is 70 to 100 inches. The averge annual temperature is 48 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free period is 210 to 245 days. These soils are on the Tenmile geomorphic surface.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coquille, Croquib, Hebo, Nehalem, Nestucca and Walluski soils. Coquille, Nehalem and Nestucca sols are flood plain soils and lack consolidated gravels in the particle-size control section. Croquib soils have ochric epipedons and are poorly drained. Hebo soils are poorly drained and lack consolidated gravels in the particle-size control section. Walluski soils lack thick dark A horizons and lack consolidated gravels in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for pasture and building sites. Native vegetation where not cleared is Sitka spruce, western hemlock, red alder, salal, salmonberry and western swordfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Stream terraces in Northwestern Oregon; MLRA 1. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clatsop County, Oregon, 1984.
REMARKS: This draft reflects a change in series classification from Medial over loamy-skeletal, mixed, isomesic Alic Fulvudands.
Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon:
Bulk density of less than 0.85g/cubic centimeter throughout the solum.
Umbric epipedon from 0 to 25 inches (Ap, A, and AB horizons)
Cambic horizon from 25 to 36 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Fulvi feature - from 0 to 12 inches having a weighted average of 6 percent or more organic carbon.
Pachic feature - from 0 to 25 inches having more than 4.0 percent O.C. and averaging more than 6.0 percent.
Particle-size control section - from 0 to 40 inches with 0 to 36 inches meeting Medial family criteria and 36 to 40 inches meeting loamy-skeletal family criteria.