LOCATION REESER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Vitrandic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Reeser ashy loam - cropland, on a 3 percent south slope at an elevation of 2,000 feet. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular and tubular pores; NaF pH 8.5; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BA--6 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine irregular and few tubular pores; 5 percent pebbles; NaF pH 8.6; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
2Bt1--13 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; many prominent brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay films lining pores and on faces of peds and few distinct brown (10YR 4/3) pressure faces on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent pebbles; NaF pH 8.8; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--16 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; many prominent brown (10YR 5/3) clay films lining pores and on faces of peds and few prominent brown (10YR 4/3) pressure faces on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 8.2; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined 2Bt horizon is 9 to 21 inches thick)
3Bstqm--22 to 26 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dense alluvium that breaks to extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; moderately cemented; few very fine roots in vertical seams and many very fine roots concentrated at upper boundary; few very fine pores in seams and around rock fragments, and common very fine pores in matrix; common prominent brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay films in vertical seams; 1 to 2 mm prominent brown (7.5YR 4/3) concentrations at upper boundary; many prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) coatings around rock fragments; common silica coatings on bottom of rock fragments; common prominent black (N 2/0) iron-manganese stains around rock fragments and in seams; 55 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 8.0; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
3Bsqm--26 to 58 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dense alluvium that breaks to extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; moderately cemented; few very fine pores in seams and around rock fragments, and common very fine and fine pores in matrix; common distinct light brown (7.5YR 6/4) coatings around rock fragments; common silica coatings on bottom of rock fragments; common prominent black (N 2/0) iron-manganese stains around rock fragments, in seams and in pores; few distinct reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) manganese coatings in seams; 55 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 8.0; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (24 to 49 inches thick)
3Bs-- 58 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; very weakly cemented; common very fine, fine and medium pores; few prominent black (N 2/0) iron-manganese stains around rock fragments; 55 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 8.0; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Kittitas County, Washington; about 6 miles northwest of Ellensburg; about 1,000 feet south and 250 feet east of the northwest corner of section 31, T. 19 N., R. 18 E.; USGS Thorp, Washington topographic quadrangle; Latitude 47 degrees, 06 minutes, 00 seconds N. and Longitude 120, degrees, 38 minutes, 34 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 47 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 90 to 100 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 15 to 20 inches and includes part of argillic horizon. The upper 10 to 20 inches has an estimated bulk density of 1.10 to 1.45 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 15 to 25 percent, acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of acid oxalate iron of 0.25 to 0.6 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples. The particle-size control section has 35 to 50 percent clay in the fine earth fraction and 10 to 35 percent rock fragments by volume. Base saturation is more than 75 percent. Organic matter is estimated to range from 2 to 4 percent in the Ap or A horizons. The depth to an extremely or very gravelly moderately cemented iron- silica duripan is 20 to 40 inches. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral throughout.
The Ap or A horizons have value of 3 through 5 dry, and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry and 1 or 2 moist.
The BA horizon has value of 3 through 5 dry, and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and 1 through 3 moist. It is a ashy loam or ashy clay loam.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It is clay or gravelly clay.
The 3Bstqm horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6 dry and 2 through 4 moist. It is very gravelly sandy clay loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravely sandy clay loam.
The 3Bsqm horizon has value of 5 through 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 through 6 dry and 2 through 4 moist. It is very gravelly sandy clay loam, extremely gravelly sandy loam or extremely sandy clay loam.
The 3Bs horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 cry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 6 dry and 2 through 4 moist. It is very gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. A similar soil is Manastash. Manastash soils have 3Bqkm horizons and are dry for 100 to 120 consecutive days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Reeser soils are on old uplifted fan remnants, old terraces and old till plains and have slopes of 2 to 15 percent. These soils formed in alluvium and glacial draft over a duripan with an influence of loess mixed with volcanic ash in the surface. Elevation is 1,700 to 3,100 feet. These soils are in semiarid climate with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches. The average January temperature is about 25 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 69 degrees F.; and average annual temperature is about 46 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lablue, Maxhill, Metser, Millhouse, Reelow and Sketter soils. Lablue soils are on old uplifted fan remnants, old terraces and old till plains and are 7 to 10 inches to a duripan. Maxhill soils (on terraces and alluvial fans), Metser soils (on terraces and alluvial fans), Millhouse soil (on alluvial fans) all lack a duripan. Reelow soils are on old uplifted fan remnants, old terraces and old till plains and are 10 to 20 inches to a duripan. Sketter soils are on old uplifted fan remnants, old terraces and old till plains, are 20 to 40 inches to duripan and have 40 to 80 percent rock fragments by volume in particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for irrigated crop production, livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Wyoming sagebrush and bitterbrush. When irrigated, hay, oats and wheat are among the crops grown.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Washington; MLRA 8. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittitas County, Washington, l936.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 16 inches (Ap, BA and 2Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - 13 to 22 inches (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons, Swauk Prairie and pre-Swauk Prairie, pre-Wisconsin Age soil members)
Duripan - 22 to 58 inches (3Bstqm and 3Bsqm horizons; predominantly of Pliocene Age Thorp Gravel which consists mostly of two facies, mainstream gravel consisting of durable silicic to intermediate volcanic rock and sidestream gravel consisting mostly of subangular clasts of Grande Ronde Basalt; and Swauk Prairie and Lookout Mountain Ranch, pre-Wisconsin Age glacial drift)
PSCS - zone from 13 to 22 inches (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature - 0 to 13 inches (A and BA horizons)
Haplic feature - 22 to 58 inches with a moderately cemented duripan with iron and silica.
XERIC soil moisture regime.
This draft represents a reclassification and a new type location based on a thorough investigation and resulting revision of series concept. Lab data from the associated Reelow series did not reflect a 15 percent (absolute) clay increase at the upper boundary of the argillic horizon.