LOCATION SHEFFLEIN OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Shefflein loam on a 30 percent slope at 3,100 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine granular structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
BA--4 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; base saturation is 66 percent; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 19 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; few moderately thick clay films on peds and in pores; base saturation is 71 percent; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--19 to 40 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds and in pores; 5 percent gravel; base saturation is 75 percent; slightly acid (pH 6.3); gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
Bt3--40 to 56 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films on peds and in pores; base saturation is 79 percent; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); diffuse wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--56 inches; highly decomposed granitic bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, Oregon; about 8 miles southeast of Ruch; approximately 725 feet south and 1,850 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 31, T. 39 S., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist but are dry for 80 to 110 consecutive days or more in the four months that follow the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 54 degrees F. Depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. The particle-size control section averages 20 to 35 percent clay.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It is moderately or slightly acid. It has 2 to 4 percent organic matter.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 through 5 moist and 5 through 7 dry and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. It is clay loam, loam or sandy clay loam and has 15 to 40 percent coarse or very coarse sand. It has base saturation by sum of cations of 75 to 85 percent. It is moderately or slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bancas, Bull Trail, Hilt, Mary and Vannoy series. Bancas, Hilt and Vannoy soils are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Bull Trail soils are dry over 110 consecutive days, have a mean annual soil temperature of 56 to 58 degrees F, and are moderately acid to slightly alkaline in the subsoil. Mary soils are 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Shefflein series consists of deep, well drained soils on mountain slopes, ridges and alluvial fans. These soils are formed in colluvium and residuum derived from granitic rocks. Elevations are 1,000 to 4,000 feet. The climate is characterized by warm wet winters and hot dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 25 to 40 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 54 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 160 days. Slopes range from 2 to 35 percent.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barron, Caris, Kubli, Offenbacher, Tallowbox, Voorhies and the competing Vannoy series. Caris and Voorhies soils are loamy-skeletal. Offenbacher soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Tallowbox soils are coarse-loamy and 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Barron soils are coarse-loamy. Kubli soils are fine-loamy over clayey and are somewhat poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, crops and homesites. Native vegetation is Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, California black oak, Pacific madrone, deerbrush ceanothus, whiteleaf manzanita, and Idaho fescue.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Oregon. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County Area, Oregon, 1988.
REMARKS: The activity class was added to the classification in March of 2003. Competing series were not checked at that time. - ET
ADDITIONAL DATA: Reference samples from type location number 83T7836-40; NSSL.