LOCATION QUIRK                   OR

Established Series
Rev. AEK/RJO/DAL/RWL
10/2017

QUIRK SERIES

The Quirk series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils on structural benches and dissected plateaus. Quirk soils are formed in mixed loess and volcanic ash overlying residual material derived from volcanic tuffs overlying basalt. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 20 inches and mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vitrandic Palexerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Quirk ashy silt loam, woodland, on an 8 percent east - facing slope at an elevation of 3,850 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. Andic soil material textures are apparent field textures)

Oi--0 to 0.5 inch; slightly decomposed grass, moss, pine needles, twigs.

Oe--0.5 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed plant material.

A--1 to 13 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 3 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

2Eb--13 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, very fine, and medium roots; few very fine irregular and common very fine and few fine and medium tubular pores; 4 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

2Btb1--22 to 34 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; strong fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong very fine subangular; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common distinct clay films on ped faces and lining pores; common very fine and few fine roots; few very fine irregular and few fine and very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

2Btb2--34 to 38 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly clay, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; strong medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine subangular; extremely hard; firm; very sticky and very plastic; common distinct clay films on ped faces and lining pores; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular and few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0) abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)

3R--38 inches; basalt.

TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon, about 2,375 feet west and 1,320 feet north of the southeast corner of section 3, T. 2 N., R. 45 E. (Latitude 45 degrees, 40 minutes, 51 seconds N. and Longitude 117 degrees, 10 minutes, 28 seconds W.) USGS Roberts Butte Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually moist but are dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days in the summer
Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F
Particle-size control section - 40 to 50 percent clay with a weighted average of 5 to 25 percent rock fragments
Depth to bedrock - 20 to 40 inches
Depth to the argillic horizon is 20 to 30 inches
Mollic epipedon - 10 to 20 inches

Vitrandic feature thickness - 10 to 20 inches
Organic matter - 1 to 5 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron - 0.5 to 1.0 percent
Phosphate retention - 30 to 40 percent
Particles of 0.02 to 2.0 mm - 40 to 60 percent
Volcanic glass content - 10 to 15 percent
15-bar water retention on air-dried sample - 15 to 25 percent

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 5YR
Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry
Texture - ashy SIL
Rock fragments 0 to 10 percent total with 0 to 10 percent gravel
Clay - 10 to 15 percent
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3

2Eb horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 5YR
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry
Chroma - 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry
Texture - SIL, L, CL, GR-SIL, GR-L, GR-CL
Rock fragments - 0 to 20 percent total with 0 to 20 gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Clay - 18 to 30 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.3

2Btb1 horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 5YR
Value 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist, 3 to 6 dry
Texture - C, GR-C
Rock fragments - 0 to 20 percent total with 0 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles
Clay - 40 to 50 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8

2Btb2 horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 5YR
Value - 4 moist 4 or 5 dry
Chroma - 4 moist, 3 to 6 dry
Texture - GR-C, CB-C, CBV-C
Rock fragments - 0 to 50 percent total with 0 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 30 percent cobbles
Clay - 40 to 50 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Series with a similar Typic subgroup classification are the Bridgecreek, Coser, Deer Creek, Eoj, Goodington, Harkers, Lynnbow, Mohocken, Norcan and Rands series. The Bridgecreek, Coser, and Mohocken soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches and lack a vitrandic feature. The Deer Creek, Eoj, Goodington, Harkers, Lynnbow, Norcan and Rands soils are greater than 40 inches to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Quirk soils occur on summits and backslopes of structural benches and dissected plateaus. Elevations are 3,600 to 4,600 feet. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The soil is formed in mixed loess and volcanic ash overlying residual material derived from volcanic tuffs overlying basalt. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 17 to 24 inches. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anatone, Bocker and Volstead. Anatone soils are on convex nonforested mountain side slopes and are 10 to 20 inches deep to bedrock. Bocker soils are on nonforested convex to planar ridge and benches and are 4 to 10 inches deep to bedrock. Volstead soil are on forested swales of benches and backslopes and are 40 to 60 inches deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and recreation. The native vegetation is ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, common snowberry, rose, birchleaf spiraea, common yarrow, heartleaf arnica, longstalk clover, blueleaf strawberry, western hawkweed, red avens, silky lupine, pinegrass, Idaho fescue and mountain brome.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Oregon; MLRA 9 and 10. These soils are of limited extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County, Oregon, 1999.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - from 1 to 13 inches (A horizon).

Argillic horizon - from 22 to 38 inches (2Btb1 and 2Btb2 horizons).

Vitrandic feature - from 1 to 13 inches (A horizon).

Pale feature - absolute clay increase of 15 percent at 22 inches from the contact between the 2Eb and 2Btb1 horizons.

Cole- from 1 to 38 inches having an estimated extensibility value of 5.8 cm based on the shrink-swell ratings.

Particle-size control section - from 22 to 38 inches (2Btb1 and 2Btb2 horizons) having 40 to 50 percent clay and rock fragment weighted average of 23 percent.

The dominant USFS plant community is PIPO/SYAL; others may include PSME/SYAL, PIPO/FEID, or PSME/SPBE.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.