LOCATION RANES ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ranes gravelly ashy silt loam -- forested, on a 10 percent southeast facing slope at elevation of 4,230 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and grass
A--1 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
2EBb--11 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very cobbly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; few fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 22 inches thick)
2Btb1--16 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many moderately thick clay films on ped faces and colloid stains on mineral grains; common fine and few medium and coarse roots; few fine irregular and common fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 25 inches thick)
2Btb2--25 to 30 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) extremely gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few thin clay films on ped faces; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
2C1--30 to 38 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; single grain structure; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine and few medium irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1); gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 38 inches thick)
2C2--38 to 61 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; single grain structure; loose, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.1)
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon
Section 26 (SW 1/4, SE 1/4, SE 1/4), T. 10 S., R. 36 E
Latitude: 44 degrees, 39 minutes, 35 seconds North
Longitude: 118 degrees, 15 minutes, 21 seconds West
UTM coordinates: zone 11; 4,945,701 northing; 400,434; easting; NAD27
USGS Quadrangle: Whitney
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: frigid regime
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F
Mean Summer Soil Temperature: 50 to 57 degrees F
Mean Winter Soil Temperature: 34 to 38 degrees F
Soil Moisture: xeric regime; dry 60 to 75 consecutive days in summer
Particle-size Control Section: upper 20 inches of argillic horizon or entire argillic horizon if less than 20 inches thick
clay content, average: 8 to 17 percent
rock fragment content, average: 45 to 75 percent
Diagnostic Horizons and Features:
andic soil properties: upper boundary at the mineral surface; 8 to 13 inches thick
Al+1/2Fe (ammonium oxalate): 1.0 to 2.4 percent
bulk density: 0.65 to 1.00 g/cc
P retention: 60 to 90 percent
0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 40 to 60 percent of fine earth
glass content in the 0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 55 to 85 percent
cambic horizon: 5 to 8 inches thick
eluvial layer: 3 to 22 inches thick
argillic horizon: 9 to 25 inches thick
A horizon; may include AB horizon in some pedons:
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/2; 10YR 3/3, 4/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4; 10YR 5/4, 6/3, 6/4
texture: ASHY-SIL
clay content: 5 to 8 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent
gravel: 0 to 15 percent
cobbles: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid; pH: 6.1 to 6.5
Bw horizon:
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/4; 10YR 4/3, 4/4
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4; 10YR 5/4, 6/4, 6/6
texture: ASHY-SIL, GR-ASHY-SIL
clay content: 3 to 7 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 30 percent
gravel: 0 to 20 percent
cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: slightly acid; pH: 6.1 to 6.5
2EBb horizon; may include 2Eb horizon in some pedons:
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/4; 10YR 4/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/6, 6/4; 10YR 5/4
texture: GR-L, CBV-L, GRX-SL, GRX-L, GRV-L
clay content: 4 to 14 percent
rock fragment content: 20 to 80 percent
gravel: 20 to 75 percent
cobbles: 0 to 15 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid; pH: 6.1 to 6.5
2Btb horizons:
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 3/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6, 6/4; 10YR 5/3
texture: GRV-L, GRX-SL, CBV-L, CBX-SL, GRX-L
clay content: 8 to 17 percent
rock fragment content: 40 to 80 percent
gravel: 25 to 70 percent
cobbles: 0 to 20 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid; pH: 6.1 to 6.5
2C horizons; 2BCb horizon in some pedons:
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/4; 10YR 5/4
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 5/4, 6/4
texture: CBX-LS, CBX-SL, GRX-SL, GRX-LS, CBX-L
clay content: 0 to 16 percent
rock fragment content: 65 to 80 percent
gravel: 40 to 75 percent
cobbles: 0 to 25 percent
stones: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid; pH: 6.1 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES:
Baileycreek: moderately deep to a paralithic contact, soft weathered basalt; dry 90 consecutive days in summer
Goshawk: moderately deep to a lithic contact, andesite
Jorge: deep and very deep to paralithic contact, weathered vesicular andesitic agglomerate;
McDanielake: formed in colluvium from basalt or andesite with a mantle of volcanic ash; particle-size control section is 18 to 35 percent clay; dry 60 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Nebopeak: formed in a thin, undisturbed mantle of volcanic ash over till from basalt; dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Payraise: formed in a thin, undisturbed mantle of volcanic ash over colluvium from argillite or other metasedimentary or metavolcanic rocks; dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Pinuscreek: deep to a lithic contact; formed in a thin, undisturbed mantle of volcanic ash over colluvium and residuum from basalt or andesite; dry 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
Satus: formed in residuum and colluvium from basalt with a thin mantle of volcanic ash; ash mantle is loam with glass content of 15 to 30 percent
Weste: moderately deep to a lithic contact, basalt; dry 90 consecutive days in summer
Whitedeer: moderately deep to paralithic contact, weathered basalt; dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: relict alluvial terraces
Slope gradient: 0 to 60 percent
Parent material: thin mantle of volcanic ash overlying alluvium
Lithology: mixed sources but dominantly mafic igneous rocks
Elevation: 3,500 to 5,000 feet
Climate: cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation: 17 to 25 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 40 to 45 degrees F
Frostfree period: 40 to 115 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Stevensgulch: on benches and sideslopes of dissected relict valley fill; minor amount of ash mixed in colluvium over a loamy-skeletal argillic horizon; under Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, common snowberry and elk sedge
Terrod: on low valley floor terraces; very deep, mollic epipedon, and aquic conditions at 20 to 30 inches; under grand fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine, Scoulers willow, and timothy
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderate to rapid
USE AND VEGETATION: Ranes soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and recreation.
Native vegetation: ponderosa pine, western larch, common snowberry, antelope bitterbrush, Oregon grape holly, birchleaf spiraea, blueleaf strawberry, sticky cinquefoil, rose pussytoes, pearly everlasting, common yarrow, Ross sedge, pinegrass and elk sedge.
Plant Associations: PIPO/SYAL (ponderosa pine/common snowberry); may include: PIPO/SPBE (ponderosa pine/birchleaf spiraea).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: MLRA 43c; Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon
Extent: small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, 2008. Name is from a mine near the Whitney Valley.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon: 1 to 4 inches; A horizon
cambic horizon: 4 to 11 inches; Bw horizon
eluvial layer: 11 to 16 inches; 2EBb horizon
argillic horizon: 16 to 30 inches; 2Btb1, 2Btb2 horizon
andic subgroup properties (ash mantle): 1 to 11 inches; A, Bw horizon
particle-size control section: 16 to 30 inches; 2Btb1, 2Btb2 horizon
ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory; pedon ID: 95OR001003