LOCATION STEIGER                 OR

Established Series
Rev. JSC/AON/TDT
06/2011

STEIGER SERIES


The Steiger series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in air-fall deposited pumiceous ash and pumice. Steiger soils are on pumice mantled terraces, lava plains, lava plateaus, buttes, ridges, and cinder cones, and have slopes of 0 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy Xeric Vitricryands

TYPICAL PEDON: Steiger ashy loamy coarse sand, woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 3 inches; slightly decomposed ponderosa pine litter.

A--3 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 10 percent paragravel; 50 percent coarse ash (0.5 to 2.0 millimeters); neutral (pH 6.8); clear irregular boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

Bw--5 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) paragravelly ashy coarse sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent paragravel; 60 percent coarse ash (0.5 to 2.0 millimeters); neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 22 inches thick)

BC--21 to 31 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very paragravelly ashy coarse sand, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 50 percent paragravel; 70 percent coarse ash (0.5 to 2.0 millimeters); neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)

C--31 to 52 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) and pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) paragravelly ashy coarse sand, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) and pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots along krotovina; many very fine interstitial pores; common krotovinas (4 inches in diameter); thin subhorizons in lower part; 15 percent paragravel; 70 percent coarse ash (0.5 to 2.0 millimeters); neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 30 inches thick)

2Bwb--52 to 63 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; common medium brown (7.5YR 5/4) redox concentrations; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent paragravel, 10 percent coarse ash (0.5 to 2.0 millimeters); neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Klamath County, Oregon; about 1 mile east of U.S. Highway 97 in the southwest of the northwest 1/4 of section 20, T. 23 S., R. 10 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F., the mean summer soil temperature without an O horizon is 52 to 59 degrees F. and with an O horizon is 40 to 47 degrees F., and the mean winter soil temperature is 32 to 35 degrees F. The soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days when the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. The solum is 14 to 35 inches thick. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Depth to a buried soil is 40 to over 60 inches. The particle-size control section averages 5 to 35 percent paragravel pumice fragments. Field estimated clay content is 0 to 5 percent. The solum has andic soil properties and contains 70 to 100 percent glass and glass-coated aggregate, phosphate retention of 25 to 50 percent, acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the acid oxalate iron of 0.4 to 1.0 percent, 15 bar water content of 3 to 12 percent on both dried and undried samples and moist bulk density of 0.70 to 1.00 grams per cubic centimeter.

Some pedons lack an O horizon.

The A horizon has value of 2 through 4 moist, 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and 1 through 3 dry. It is ashy loamy sand or ashy loamy coarse sand and has about 0 to 25 percent paragravel pumice fragments. It is soft and very friable or loose. It is moderately acid to neutral.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. Pumice fragments mostly have chroma of 4 through 8. It is ashy loamy coarse sand or ashy coarse sand and has 5 to 35 percent paragravel pumice fragments. It is moderately acid to neutral.

The BC and C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y value of 3 through 8 moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 2 through 8 moist and 2 through 6 dry. The pumice fragments commonly have the higher chroma and value. It is ashy loamy coarse sand or ashy coarse sand and has 5 to 60 percent paragravel pumice fragments. It is moderately acid through slightly alkaline. Glass content is 70 to 100 percent.

The buried soil (2Bwb), when present, is at depths of 40 to 60 inches. It has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loam or sandy loam and may contain faint or common redox concentrations. It contains 0 to 50 percent rock fragments of which 0 to 20 percent are gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 25 percent stones.

Some pedons have a BCd or Cd horizon. These horizons are massive and are recognized as a dense layer but not densic materials or densic contact. When present, the dense layers are typically at depths of 20 to 30 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Collier, Goffpeak, Kittleson, Sycan and Wocreek series. Kittleson soils have field estimated clay content of 10 to 18 percent clay, coarse fragments are rhyolite and glass content is 50 to 70 percent. Goffpeak soils have 35 to 75 percent pumice in the lower part of the particle-size control section and have acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of more than 2.0 percent. Sycan soils have redox concentrations below 40 inches. Collier soils are on ash flows and contain significant amounts of rock fragments consisting of cinders and andesite. Wocreek soils have 30 to 60 percent glass and have 1.0 to 2.0 acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus half the iron.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Steiger soils are on pumice mantled terraces, lava plains, lava plateaus, hills, buttes, and tablelands. Elevations are 4,000 to 6,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. The soils formed in deposits of volcanic ash and pumice. The climate is subhumid with annual precipitation ranging from 15 to 50 inches. Mean January temperature is 25 to 27 degrees F., the mean July temperature is 59 to 62 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is 37 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 0 to 50 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lapine, Maklak, Tutni and Skellock soils. Lapine and Maklak soils are ashy-pumiceous. Skellock and Tutni soils are somewhat poorly drained.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; rapid permeability, and when the 2Bwb or BCd horizons are present, permeability of the layer is moderate.

USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for timber, wildlife habitat and recreation. Vegetation is mainly ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, white fir, lodgepole pine, sugar pine, snowbrush, manzanita, kinnikinnick and chinquapin.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and south-central Oregon; MLRA 6. The soils are extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Crook County, Oregon, 1966.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:

Ochric epipedon: Color is strongly contrasting within the fine earth fraction. Soil material less than 0.5 millimeters in size has mollic colors and material greater than or equal to 0.5 millimeters in size has bright colors or high value and high chroma.

Andic soil properties: Data is from profile S87OR-035-001; see range in characteristics.

Particle-size control section: From 3 to 43 inches; andic soil properties are present from 3 to 31 inches and 15 bar water content is less than 12 percent throughout the control section, and pumice fragments greater than 2 millimeters in size comprising up to 35 percent by volume.

Ash deposit is from Mt. Mazama

In 2007 the series type location was moved from Section 14, T. 33S., R. 7 E in the Klamath County Southern Part Soil Survey to its current location in the Upper Deschutes River Soil Survey, Klamath County Part.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data on 2 profiles (S72Oreg. 18-3 and 18-4) reported in Riverside Soil Survey Laboratory report for Steiger soils sampled in Klamath County, Oregon, 1972. Characterization data on profile (S87OR-035-001) reported in Lincoln Laboratory for Steiger soils sampled in the Upper Deschutes River Soil Survey Area.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.