LOCATION PARAGON OR

Established Series
Rev. DRJ/TDT
12/2022

PARAGON SERIES

The Paragon series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum and colluvium weathered from basalt or andesite. Paragon soils are on plateaus and hillslopes and
have slopes of 1 to 35 percent. The mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is about 23 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Ultic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Paragon cobbly loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

O--1 inch to 0; partially decomposed needles and twigs.

A--0 to 3 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

AB--3 to 13 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)

Bt--13 to 25 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate very fine and fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent hard gravel and 5 percent hard cobbles; 50 percent soft andesite fragments; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 23 inches thick)

Cr--25 inches; weathered andesite.

TYPE LOCATION: Klamath County, Oregon; approximately 1,600 feet
west and 2,450 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 35, T.
40 S., R. 5 E., W.M.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTIC: These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 80 to 100 consecutive days in the four months that follow the summer solstice. The
mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 40 inches thick. Depth to weathered bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The soil has a base saturation of 60 to 90 percent in the A and AB horizons and 50 to 75 percent in the Bt horizon. The particle-size control section averages 27 to 35 percent clay, 5 to 15 percent gravel, and 5 to 20 percent cobbles and stones. It contains 25 to 65 percent soft rock fragments.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and 3 or 4 dry. It has 5 to 15 percent gravel and 10 to 20 percent cobbles and stones. It is strongly acid to slightly acid.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and 4 or 5 dry. It has 5 to 15 percent gravel and 5 to 20 percent cobbles. It is a clay loam, cobbly clay loam, or gravelly clay loam. It is moderately acid or slightly acid.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aptos, Campfour, Elmore, and Nisene series. Aptos soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 56 to 58 degrees F and lack the soft rock fragments. Campfour, Elmore, and Nisene soils are deep.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Paragon soils are on plateaus and hillslopes at elevations of 3,000 to 4,400 feet. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium derived from basalt and andesite with
small amounts of volcanic ash in the upper part. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 25 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days. Slopes range from 1 to 35 percent.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Campfour, McMullin, Randcore, Shoat, and Skookum soils. Campfour soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock. McMullin and Randcore soils are less than 20 inches to bedrock. Skookum soils are clayey-skeletal. Shoat soils have an ochric epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to moderate runoff; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production and livestock grazing. Native vegetation includes an overstory of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Also included in varying amounts are incense cedar, sugar pine, California black oak, and Oregon white oak. Understory includes western fescue, tall Oregon grape, snowberry, prostrate ceanothus, and Pacific serviceberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Oregon. The series is inextensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County Area, Oregon (Klamath County part), 1988.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features:

- Mollic epipedon - 0 to 25 inches.

- Argillic horizon - 13 to 25 inches.

- Assume base saturation of greater than 50 percent throughout
the profile and less than 75 percent in the argillic horizon.

The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data. The remainder of this document has not been updated.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.