LOCATION QUARTZVILLE OR

Established Series
Rev. RWL-TDT
06/2011

QUARTZVILLE SERIES

The Quartzville series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium weathered from igneous tuffaceous rock. Quartzville soils are on uplands and have slopes of 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 90 inches and the mean annual temperature is 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, isotic, mesic Andic Humudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Quartzville medial silt loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to1 inch; slightly decomposed litter of leaves, twigs, moss, and needles.

A1--1 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) medial silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; many 1 to 5 millimeter soft concretions; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

A2--4 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) medial silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; strong very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; many 1 to 5 millimeter soft concretions; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

BA--10 to 18 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common 1 to 5 millimeter soft concretions; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

Bw1--18 to 33 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; common 1 to 5 millimeter soft concretions; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

Bw2--33 to 41 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent paragravel; many 1 to 2 millimeter soft fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)

BC--41 to 59 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very paragravelly silty clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 35 percent paragravel; many 1 to 2 millimeter soft fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

C--59 to 66 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 and 5/6) extremely paragravelly clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 65 percent paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Linn County, Oregon; northwest 1/4 northeast 1/4 northeast 1/4, sec. 23, T. 11 S., R. 2 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. The soils are usually moist and are dry between depths of 4 and 12 inches for less than 45 consecutive days during the 4-month period following the summer solstice. The umbric epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The solum is 40 to 60 inches or more thick. Gravel and cobbles range from 0 to 15 percent throughout the profile. Stones range from 0 to 5 percent in the solum and are from 0 to 10 percent below. It is moderately to strongly acid.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist and 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist and 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam and averages 35 to 45 percent clay. The lower part contains 10 to 40 percent tuffaceous paragravel.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR. It is clay loam or silty clay loam, and contains 40 to 70 percent tuffaceous, paragravel.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Astoria series. Astoria soils are very strongly acid throughout and average 40 to 60 percent clay in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on uplands in the Cascade Range at elevations from 1,500 to 2,700 feet. Slopes are 2 to 75 percent. These soils formed in fine textured colluvium weathered from tuffaceous igneous rock. The soils have a humid temperate climate with cool wet winters and warm dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 80 to 100 inches. The mean January temperature is 38 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 62 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 46 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is 140 to 190 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Acanod and Kinney soils. Acanod soils are moderately well drained and have an umbric epipedon greater than 20 inches. Kinney soils dominated by amorphous material in the particle-size control section average 22 to 30 percent estimated clay.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, water supply, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is dominately Douglas-fir, western hemlock, bigleaf maple, and red alder. The understory vegetation is vine maple, western swordfern, Oregon oxalis, red huckleberry, salal, cascade Oregon-grape, and other shrubs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western slopes of the Cascade Range in Oregon. This series is inextensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Linn County, Oregon, 1983.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features of this pedon include:

Umbric epipedon - From 1 to 17 inches.

Cambic horizon - from 18 to 59 inches.

Andic feature - moist bulk density of .85 to .95 from surface to 9 inches (A1 & A2 horizons).

Additional information is needed to determine differences between the Quartzville and Astoria series. The Quartzville series is currently mapped only in the Oregon Cascade Mountain Range (MLRA 3) and the Astoria series is mapped in the Oregon and Washington Coast Range Mountains (MLRA 1).

ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory; sample number S810R-43-0.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.