LOCATION NEBOPEAK ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Nebopeak stony ashy silt loam -- forested, on a 38 percent south-facing slope at an elevation of 5,740 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs and grass
A--1 to 3 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) stony ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (2 or 3 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 11 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) stony ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; few very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
2EAb--11 to 16 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, medium and few coarse roots; common very fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
2Eb--16 to 29 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very cobbly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) dry; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; common fine tubular and few fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2Btb--29 to 46 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common faint clay films on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular and irregular pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.9); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
2BCb--46 to 61 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.9).
TYPE LOCATION:
Wallowa County, Oregon
Section 8 (NW 1/4, NE 1/4, NE 1/4), T. 4 S., R. 46 E.
Latitude: 45 degrees, 14 minutes, 05 seconds North
Longitude: 117 degrees, 05 minutes, 10 seconds West
UTM coordinates: zone 11; 5,008,812 northing; 493,241 easting NAD27
USGS Quadrangle: Lick Creek
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: frigid regime
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 38 to 42 degrees F
Mean Summer Soil Temperature: 47 to 51 degrees F
Mean Winter Soil Temperature: 31 to 35 degrees F
Soil Moisture: xeric regime; dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Particle-size Control Section: upper 20 inches of argillic horizon
Clay content, average: 18 to 22 percent
Rock fragment content, average: 45 to 70 percent
Diagnostic Horizons and Features:
andic soil properties: upper boundary at the mineral surface; 9 to 13 inches thick
Al+1/2Fe (ammonium oxalate): 1.0 to 2.4 percent
bulk density: 0.65 to 1.00 g/cc
P retention: 60 to 90 percent
0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 40 to 60 percent of fine earth
glass content in the 0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 55 to 85 percent
cambic horizon: 7 to 11 inches thick
eluvial layer, buried: 10 to 18 inches thick
argillic horizon, buried: 15 to 30 inches thick
A horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 2.5/2, 3/2; 10YR 2/2, 3/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 4/3, 5/3; 10YR 3/4, 4/3, 5/4
texture: ASHY-SIL, GR-ASHY-SIL, CB-ASHY-L, GR-ASHY-SL
clay content: 2 to 12 percent
rock fragment content: 5 to 25 percent total
gravel: 5 to 15 percent
cobbles: 0 to 15 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
Bw horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/4; 10YR 3/4
color, dry: 7.5YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 5/3, 5/4
texture: GR-ASHY-SIL, ASHY-SIL, CB-ASHY-SIL, GR-ASHY-SL
clay content: 2 to 12 percent
rock fragment content: 15 to 35 percent total
gravel: 5 to 15 percent
cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid or neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
2EAb and 2EBb horizons; some pedons have a 2Eb horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/3, 3/4; 10YR 3/4
color, dry: 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 6/4; 10YR 4/4
texture: CBV-L, CBV-SIL, STV-L, STV-SL
clay content: 13 to 18 percent
rock fragment content: 35 to 55 percent total
gravel: 10 to 25 percent
cobbles: 15 to 20 percent
stones: 5 to 20 percent
reaction: slightly acid or neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
2Btb horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/3, 3/4, 4/4; 10YR 3/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 4/4
texture: CBX-L, STX-SIL, STV-SIL, STV-L, STX-L
clay content: 17 to 22 percent
rock fragment content: 40 to 65 percent total
gravel: 15 to 30 percent
cobbles: 15 to 25 percent
stones: 10 to 25 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
2BCb horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4; 10YR 3/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 4/4
texture: CBV-SCL, CBV-L, STV-SL
clay content: 13 to 22 percent
rock fragment content: 45 to 60 percent total
gravel: 20 to 30 percent
cobbles: 15 to 25 percent
stones: 5 to 15 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
COMPETING SERIES:
Baileycreek: moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a paralithic contact (soft weathered basalt); dry 90 consecutive days in summer
Goshawk: moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact (andesite); dry 60 to 75 consecutive days in summer
Jorge: deep and very deep (40 to greater than 60 inches) to a paralithic contact (weathered vesicular andesitic agglomerate)
McDanielake: very deep; formed in colluvium from basalt or andesite with a mantle of volcanic ash; particle-size control section is 18 to 35 percent clay; dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Payraise: very deep; formed in a thin, undisturbed mantle of volcanic ash over colluvium from argillite or other metasedimentary or metavolcanic rocks; rock fragments are angular in shape
Pinuscreek: deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact; formed in a thin, undisturbed mantle of volcanic ash over colluvium and residuum from basalt or andesite
Ranes: very deep; formed in an 8 to 13 inch thick volcanic ash mantle over alluvium from mafic igneous rocks; ash mantle is silt loam and has andic soil properties: Al+1/2Fe of 1.0 to 1.5 percent and glass content of 40 to 65 percent; particle-size control section is 8 to 17 percent clay; dry 60 to 75 consecutive days in summer
Satus: very deep; formed in residuum and colluvium from basalt with a thin mantle of volcanic ash; ash mantle is loam with andic soil properties: Al+1/2Fe of 1 to 2 percent and glass content of 15 to 30 percent; particle-size control section is 10 to 18 percent clay; dry 60 to 75 consecutive days in summer
Weste: moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact (basalt); dry 90 consecutive days in summer
Whitedeer: moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a paralithic contact (weathered basalt)
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: midslopes of lateral moraines in glaciated mountains
Slope gradient: 30 to 60 percent
Parent material: Mazama volcanic ash over till
Lithology: primarily basalt
Elevation: 5,500 to 6,500 feet
Climate: cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation: 35 to 45 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 36 to 40 degrees F
Frostfree period: 25 to 65 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bulger: on moraines and valley trains; very deep; with thick volcanic ash mantle over loamy-skeletal granitic till; under grand fir, Englemann spruce, big huckleberry, longtube twin flower, Rocky Mountain maple, queens cup beadlily, and darkwoods violet
Tyeecreek: on midslopes of lateral moraines; very deep with thick volcanic ash mantle over loamy-skeletal argillic horizon; under subalpine fir, western larch and lodgepole pine with grouse whortleberry, big huckleberry and longtube twinflower
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderate to moderately rapid
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and recreation.
Potential native vegetation: grand fir, western larch, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, grouse whortleberry, birchleaf spiraea, whiteflowered hawkweed, vetch, lupine, pussytoes, pinegrass, elk sedge and northwest sedge
Plant Association: ABGR/CARU (grand fir/pinegrass); may include ABGR/VASC (grand fir/grouse whortleberry)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: MLRA E43c; Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon
Extent: small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, 2008. Name is from a peak in the Wallowa Mountains.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon: 1 to 3 inches; A horizon
cambic horizon: 3 to 11 inches; Bw horizon
eluvial layer, buried: 11 to 29 inches; 2EAb, 2EBb horizons
argillic horion, buried: 29 to 46 inches; 2Btb horizon
andic subgroup properties (ash influenced layer): 1 to 11 inches; A, Bw horizons
particle-size control section: 29 to 46 inches; 2Btb horizon