LOCATION SNAKER OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Lithic Xeric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Snaker channery loam, rangeland. (Colors
are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2)
channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine
granular and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard,
very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine
and very fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; about
25 percent schist channers and 5 percent schist flagstones;
neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches
thick)
AC--3 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very
channery loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and
medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable,
slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine
roots; about 50 percent schist channers; neutral (pH 7.2);
gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
C--10 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very
channery loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly
hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; about 45
percent schist channers; mildly alkaline (pH 7.4). (3 to 7
inches thick)
R--16 inches; fractured schist.
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon; about 600 feet west of
the Snake River road, up Canyon Creek on an south facing
slope, SE corner NW1/4SW1/4, sec. 5, T. 11 S., R. 46 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is dry in all parts half
to three-fourths of the time when the soil temperature is
greater than 41 degrees F. The mean annual soil temperature
is 49 to 53 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is 10 to 20 inches.
The structure grade is weak to moderate. Hue is 10YR or
2.5Y dry. The textural control section has 35 to 70 percent
coarse fragments dominantly channers and 15 to 20 percent
clay.
The A horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry.
The AC and C horizons have value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and 3 moist. It is neutral or
mildly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Jobpeak,
Skedaddle,
Smallcone, and
Wahguyhe series. All of these series
except Wahguyhe are less than 12 inches deep to bedrock.
The Wahguyhe series is moderately alkaline, has a mean
annual soil temperature of 52 to 56 degrees F, and has
5 to 15 percent clay in the textural control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The soils are on hills with slopes of
30 to 80 percent. Elevation is 2,000 to 4,000 feet. They
formed in colluvium derived dominantly from schist. The
climate is semiarid and summers are dry. The mean annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The mean annual
temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free period is
100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Lovline and
Ruckles soils. The Lovline soils are moderately deep to
bedrock, have a mollic epipedon and generally occur on north
and east facing slopes over schist. The Ruckles soils are
formed over basalt and are clayey-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid to very
rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for range.
Vegetation commonly is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg
bluegrass, and cheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Oregon. The series
is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baker County Area, Oregon; 1988.