LOCATION SHARPSHOOTER OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sharpshooter loam - forested, on a southeast-facing slope of 52 percent at an elevation of 2000 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--1 inch to 0; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs.
A--0 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; few very fine tubular and irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
AB--5 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; few very fine tubular and irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--10 to 19 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--19 to 31 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--31 to 45 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 37 to 56 inches)
Cr--45 inches; quartz mica schist
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Oregon, 1 1/3 miles north-northwest of Tiller, Oregon, 945 feet west and 1155 feet south of the northeast corner of section 29, T. 30 S., R. 2 W., W.M. (Latitude 42 degrees 56 minutes 35 seconds N, Longitude 122 degrees 57 minutes 53 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. Thickness of the mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 56 degrees F. The soil is usually moist but is dry within all parts of the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The particle-size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay, and more than 15 percent sand that is coarser than very fine.
The A and AB horizon has chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. Clay content is 10 to 29 percent. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent gravel. It is moderately or strongly acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is loam, clay loam, or gravelly loam with 15 to 35 percent clay with increasing clay content with depth. Rock fragments range from 5 to 35 percent gravel. It is moderately acid to very strongly acid.
Some pedons have a BC horizon, when present, hue is 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist, 3 to 6 dry. It is is gravelly clay loam, gravelly loam, very gravelly clay loam with 25 to 35 percent clay. It has 20 to 45 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles. It is moderately acid to very strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cauley (T), Laughlin, Louella, Maydol (T), and Stewier series. Cauley soils are very deep to bedrock and are dry for 75 to 90 consecutive days after the summer solstice. Louella soils are dry for 60 to 75 days. Laughlin and Stewier soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Maydol soils are dry for 75 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sharpshooter soils are on mountain sideslopes and narrow ridges. They formed in colluvium and residuum derived from mica schist. Slopes are 3 to 90 percent. Elevations are 1000 to 3000 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 54 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is 40 to 60 inches. The frost free period is 100 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Beal, Atring, Kanid, Lettia, Sweetbriar, and Zing soils. Beal, Lettia, Sweetbriar and Zing soils all have argillic horizons. Atring and Kanid soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. The native vegetation includes Douglas fir, grand fir, Pacific madrone, incense cedar, and ponderosa pine. The understory consists mainly of cascade Oregongrape, western swordfern, creambush oceanspray, salal, Pacific poison oak, western hazel, deerfoot vanillaleaf, and American trailplant.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Oregon, MLRA 5. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Oregon, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from the surface of the soil to 10 inches. (A and AB horizons), base saturation by ammonium acetate is 64 and 73 percent and organic carbon is 0.77 in the AB horizon.
Cambic horizon - from 10 to 45 inches. (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3, horizons), base saturation by sum is 53, 61, and 74 percent and organic carbon is 0.58, 0.25, and 0.27 percent..
Particle-size control section - from 10 to 40 inches. (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons), dispersion is fair and average clay content based on the 15 bar water is 18 percent.
Ultic subgroup- base saturation is less than 75 percent throughout from 10 to 45 inches. .
This soil typically has uniform sand size (fine and very fine sand) with a high mica content (although not high enough to have a micaceous mineralogy family classification). The soil exhibits weak to moderate dilatency.
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added to the classification in 10/2005. The competing series section was not updated at that time. Last revision 3/1995.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data is available for this pedon. Reference samples S86OR-019-001 from Douglas County, Oregon, NSSL, Lincoln, NE 1/87.