LOCATION MUTTON OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy, mesic Vitrandic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Mutton gravelly loam - on a 35 percent north- facing slope, woodland. ( Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi-- 1 to 0 inches; organic litter; needles and twigs
A-- 0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium roots; many very fine, fine, and common irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
BA-- 8 to 17 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1-- 17 to 28 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and few medium roots; common very fine, fine, and few tubular pores; organic stains on face of peds and in pores; 35 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (11 to 15 inches thick)
Bw2-- 28 to 36 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores, organic stains on face of peds and in pores; 45 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Bw3-- 36 to 44 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine, fine, and medium tubular pores; organic stains on face of peds and in pores; 65 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2Bt-- 44 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely stony silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common distinct clay films on face of peds and lining pores; 40 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasco County, Oregon; 400 feet north and 500 feet east of the SW corner of section 11 T.7 S., R.13 E. (Latitude 44 degrees, 58 minutes, 19 seconds N, Longitude 121 degrees, 09 minutes, 02 seconds W) Warm Springs Indian Reservation.
RANGE OF CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist, but are dry in the moisture control section for 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The particle-size control section is 15 to 25 percent clay. It contains 40 to 60 percent volcanic glass and glass aggregate in the less than 2mm fraction and the 15-bar moisture retention is 8 to 12 percent. The upper 7 to 14 inches has a phosphate retention of 25 to 35 percent and acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of 0.4 to 1.0 percent. Hue is 10YR or 7.5YR.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It contains 20 to 35 percent gravel.
The BA horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It contains 30 to 40 percent gravel. Acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron is 0.15 to 0.35 percent.
The Bw horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It contains 35 to 65 percent gravel.
The 2Bt horizon when present, has value of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It is silty clay loam or clay loam and contains 10 to 40 percent stones, 15 to 20 percent cobbles, and 10 to 20 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mutton soils are on steep to very steep north-facing side slopes of mountains. Elevation ranges from 2200 to 3800 feet. Slopes are 12 to 80 percent. The soil formed in residuum and colluvium derived dominantly from volcanic tuff with an influence of volcanic ash. The climate is characterized by cool and wet winters and hot and dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 16 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 49 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Fawnspring, Littlefawn, Kusu, Mowako, and Wakamo soils. Fawnspring soils are fine, montmorillonitic, deep to bedrock, and are on north-facing side slopes of mountains. Littlefawn soils are fine, moderately deep to bedrock, and are on north-facing side slopes of mountains. Mowako soils are loamy-skeletal, moderately deep to bedrock, and are on adjacent south- facing slopes. Kusu soils are on deep to bedrock and are on north-facing slopes at higher elevations. Wakamo soils are clayey-skeletal, shallow to bedrock, and are on adjacent ridgetops and gently sloping south-facing slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, watershed, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is ponderosa pine and Douglas fir with an understory of common snowberry, Oregon white oak, and heartleaf arnica.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mutton Mountains of North-central Oregon; MLRA 6. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wasco County (Warm Springs Indian Reservation), Oregon, 1993.
REMARKS: This draft represents a change in classification from Alfic Vitrixerands to Vitrandic Haploxeralfs based on laboratory data.
Diagnostic horizon and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - The zone from 17 to 44 inches (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 horizons).
Argillic horizon - from 44 to 60 inches (2Bt horizon).
Vitrandic feature - from the surface to 8 inches (A horizon).
Particle-size control section - from 10 to 40 inches having more than 30 percent glass and 40 percent (calculated) rock fragments (lower 7 inches of BA horizon, Bw1, Bw2, and upper 4 inches of Bw3 horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Mutton reference sample # S90 OR 031001; pedon # 90P354, Warm Springs Reservation Soil Survey; sampled by NSSL, Lincoln, NE, 6/20/90.