LOCATION NEISSENBERG WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Duric Natrixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON; Neissenberg silt loam-cultivated on a 4 percent northeast facing slope at an elevation of 3,040 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Btn1--7 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine exped roots; common very fine irregular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films and stress cutans on faces of peds and clay films lining some pores; common very dark brown (10YR 2/2) organic coatings; mildly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btn2--12 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine expeds roots; many very fine irregular pores; continuous moderately thick clay films on faces of peds and clay films lining some pores; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Btk--17 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; many thin clay films and stress cutans on faces of peds and clay films lining some pores; few aggregates of secondary lime, common coatings of secondary lime in pores and coatings on faces of peds; 10 percent pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2Bqk1--23 to 26 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; discontinuous lenses that are weakly cemented with lime and silica and are 1/16 inch thick; 30 percent pebble-size indurated durinodes and lime-silica coated basalt pebbles and 20 percent lime-silica coated basalt cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
2Bqk2--26 to 33 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very cobbly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent pebble-size indurated durinodes and lime-silica coated basalt pebbles and 15 percent lime-silica coated basalt cobbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 16 inches thick)
3R--33 inches; basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Asotin County, Washington; about 7 miles northwest of Anatone; 100 feet east and 1,700 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 30, T. 9 N., R. 45 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS; Depth to the calcic horizon is 20 to 30 inches. A lithic contact is at a depth of 30 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is about 41 to 49 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts between 4 and 12 inches for 75 to 90 consecutive days following summer solstice. The natric horizon averages 35 to 45 percent clay in the fine earth fraction and SAR of 13 to 30. The mollic epipedon is 15 to 20 inches thick and includes part of the natric horizon. A thin E horizon is in some pedons just above the natric horizon.
The Btn horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It has prismatic subangular or columnar structure. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Btk horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 moist. It is silty clay loam or gravelly silty clay loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The 2Bqk horizon has value of 6 through 8 dry, 5 through 7 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry or moist. It is very gravelly loam, extremely cobbly loam or very cobbly loam. The coarse fragments include 20 to 50 percent lime-silica cemented fragments or lime-silica coated basalt fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Wahtum and Weissenfels series. Wahtum soils are more than 40 inches deep. Weissenfels soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 50 to 53 degrees F and are dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Neissenberg soils are on basalt plateaus. Slopes are 3 to 40 percent. These soils formed in loess and slope alluvium from weathered basalt. Elevations range from 2,600 to 3,&00 feet. Summers are warm and dry and winters are cool and moist. The average annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 18 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 47 degrees F. Frost-free season is 115 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: They are the Laufer, Limekiln, Pataha, Rockly, Spofmore, Stember and Thiessen soils. Laufer, Limekiln, and Rockly soils have a lithic contact at a depth of less than 20 inches. Pataha soils lack natric horizon. Spofmore soils have lithic contact at a depth of greater than 40 inches. Stember soils are loamy-skeletal. Thiessen soils are clayey-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AMD PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium to rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for cropland. Native vegetation is mainly bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot and western yarrow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Asotin County, Washington 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 23 inches, a natric horizon from 7 to 23 inches, a calcic horizon from 23 to 33 inches, and a lithic contact at 33 inches.