LOCATION NINETYSIX OR
Established Series
SCW/TDT
02/2025
NINETYSIX SERIES
Landscape--foothills
Landform--hillslopes, canyons, fans
Slope--2 to 90 percent
Parent Material--colluvium over basalt
Mean annual precipitation--about 360 mm
Mean annual air temperature--8 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ninetysix extremely cobbly sandy loam--rangeland, on a 60 percent slope at an elevation of 880 m
A1--0 to 10 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) extremely cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and many very fine roots; few fine and common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent stones, 30 percent cobbles, and 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); clear wavy boundary
A2--10 to 36 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very cobbly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium and fine and common very fine roots; few fine and common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent cobbles and 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7); gradual wavy boundary
Bw1--36 to 74 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary
Bw2--74 to 97 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent stones, 20 percent cobbles, and 15 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual wavy boundary (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 15 to 24 inches.)
Bk--97 to 152 cm; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very cobbly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; carbonate coatings on the underside of rocks; 30 percent cobbles and 15 percent gravel; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9)
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon, located about 14.5 km south of Kimberly or about 10.5 m north of the junction of Highways 19 and 26 along the eastern edge of Devils Gulch; 518 m east and 700 m south of the NW corner of section 9, T. 11 S., R. 26 E; latitude 44.63055, longitude -119.60444, WGS84 datum (coordinates estimated from PLSS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--8 to 10 degrees C
Soil Moisture--usually moist, but moisture control section is dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days
Depth to secondary carbonates--75 to 110 cm
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 50 cm
Reaction-- pH 7.4 to 8.4 (slightly to moderately alkaline)
Depth to bedrock--greater than 150 cm
Particle Size Control Section:
Clay--5 to 18 percent
Weighted Average Clay--10 to 18 percent
Total rock fragments--35 to 65 percent
A horizons
*Value--2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry
*Chroma--2 or 3
*Fine earth texture--sandy loam, loam
*Clay--5 to 18 percent
*Sand--45 to 75 percent
*Total fragments--30 to 65
*Gravel--10 to 35 percent
*Cobble--0 to 30 percent
*Stone--0 to 15 percent
*Organic matter--2 to 4 percent
*Reaction--neutral to slightly alkaline
*Combined thickness--25 to 50 cm
Bw horizons
*Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
*Chroma--2 or 3
*Fine earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
*Clay--5 to 18 percent
*Sand--45 to 75 percent
*Total fragments--35 to 60 percent
*Gravels--15 to 20 percent
*Cobbles--20 to 35 percent
*Stones--0 to 10 percent
*Organic matter--0.5 to 2 percent
*Reaction--slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
*Combined thickness--35 to 60 cm
Bk horizon
*Value--2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
*Chroma--2 or 3
*Fine earth texture--coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, loam
*Clay--5 to 18 percent
*Sand--45 to 75 percent
*Total fragments--40 to 65 percent
*Gravels--10 to 20 percent
*Cobbles--30 to 45 percent
*Stones--0 to 10 percent
*Organic matter--0.5 to 2 percent
*Reaction--slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
*Calcium carbonate equivalent--2 to 5 percent
*Thickness--50 to 80 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Alpowa--secondary carbonates at a depth of 30 to 80 cm
Bonnet--soil temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees C; depth to secondary carbonates is 50 to 80 cm
Copperton--have a weakly to moderately cemented horizon at a depth of 30 to 80 cm
Hupp--18 to 24 percent clay in the particle size control section; depth to secondary carbonates is 25 to 60 cm
Lakewin--secondary carbonates at a depth of 40 to 70 cm; very gravelly sand at a depth of 50 to 90 cm
Middle--moderately deep to bedrock
Stricker--24 to 30 percent clay in the cambic horizon; more than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the calcic horizon; depth of 45 to 80 cm to secondary carbonates.
Hondee--have secondary carbonates at 25 to 50 cm
Tammany--have carbonates at 40 to 80 cm
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--520 to 1520 m
Slope--2 to 90 percent
Climate--cool wet winters, hot dry summers
Mean annual precipitation--300 to 455 mm
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 10 degrees
Frost-free period--60 to 120 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Haystack--occur on gently sloping fans at lower elevations; have an aridic moisture regime
Lickskillet--occur on south facing slopes between lava flows; 30 to 50 cm to bedrock
Exfo-- occur on south facing slopes between lava flows; less than 20 cm to bedrock and have an ochric epipedon
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage--well drained
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high to high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing, wildlife habitat
Vegetation--bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, basin big sagebrush
Typical Ecological Site-- JD North 12-16 PZ (R010XB070OR), JD Loamy South 12-16 PZ (R010XB048OR)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East Central Oregon; MLRA 10; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED:
Grant County, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon 2000
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
*Particle-size control section--25 to 100 cm
*Mollic epipedon--0 to 36 cm
*Cambic horizon--36 to 97 cm
*Secondary carbonate accumulation--97 to 152 cm
10/10/018--This official series description was updated according to SSR01 Technical Note 11-Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015). Most of the changes were in formatting; no major technical changes were made.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.