LOCATION TAGEAR WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over mixed, superactive, mesic Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Tagear ashy fine sandy loam - cropland on a 4 percent west facing slope at 2,250 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 20 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary.
A--7 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 20 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 19 inches)
Bw--13 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 20 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 21 inches thick)
Bk1--27 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 15 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; 10 percent gravel; disseminated secondary lime; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk2--34 to 39 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) cobbly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist: weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 5 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; 15 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; disseminated secondary lime; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary.
2Bk3--39 to 49 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; disseminated secondary lime and common distinct irregular seams of secondary lime accumulation; violently effervescent; calcium carbonate equivalent is 10 percent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bk horizon is 12 to 18 inches)
2Bkqm--49 to 52 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) weakly cemented duripan, crushes to loamy sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; thin laminar cap 1 to 2 mm thick is brown (7.5YR 5/4), brown (7.5YR 4/4) and white (10YR 8/1) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine irregular pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
2Cdk--52 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dense till, crushes to very gravelly loamy sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive, very hard, firm; nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; common filaments of secondary lime accumulation; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington; about 1 mile southeast of the town of Mansfield; about 300 feet south and 1,600 feet west of the northeast corner of section 36, T. 27 N., R. 25 E. (Latitude 47 degrees 48 minutes 30 seconds N , Longitude 119 degrees 37 minutes 33 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The average annual soil temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in all parts of the moisture control section more than half the time. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 16 inches thick. Thickness of the volcanic ash influence is 24 to 37 inches. The upper part of the particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.10 to 1.35 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 50 percent, including 15 to 30 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.15 to 0.40 percent, 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent, 10 to 25 percent rock fragments, and an apparent field estimated clay content of 3 to 7 percent. The lower part of the particle-size control section averages 15 to 30 rock fragments and 3 to 7 percent clay content and 0 to 30 percent volcanic glass. Depth to secondary carbonates is 18 to 40 inches. Depth to weakly or moderately cemented duripan is 40 to 60 inches. When present, depth to dense glacial till or bedrock is 45 to 65 inches.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 or moist.
The Bw horizon has chroma of 2 or 3 dry. It contains 0 to 10 percent gravel. Texture is ashy sandy loam or ashy fine sandy loam.
The Bk1 horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It contains 0 to 10 percent rock fragments. Texture is ashy sandy loam or ashy fine sandy loam. Calcium carbonate equivalent is estimated to range from 1 to 5. Reaction is slightly to moderately alkaline.
The 2Bk2 horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It contains 15 to 30 percent rock fragments. Calcium carbonate equivalent is estimated to range from 2 to 8. Reaction is moderately to strongly alkaline.
The 2Bk3 horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It contains 35 to 50 percent rock fragments. Texture is very gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly sandy loam. Calcium carbonate equivalent is estimated to range from 8 to 12. Reaction is moderately to strongly alkaline.
The 2Bkqm horizon matrix has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. Texture, when crushed, is loamy sand, fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or gravelly fine sandy loam. This horizon is weakly to moderately cemented. Calcium carbonate equivalent is estimated to range from 8 to 12. Reaction is moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The 2Cdk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry, and 1 through 3 moist. It contains 35 to 50 percent rock fragments. Texture is very gravelly loamy sand or very cobbly sandy loam. Calcium carbonate equivalent is estimated to range from 8 to 12. Reaction is moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tagear soils are on till plains on glaciated plateaus at 1,300 to 2,800 feet elevation. These soils formed in loess and volcanic ash over glacial till. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. Average January temperature is about 27 degrees F., average July temperature is about 71 degrees F., and average annual air temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. Frost-free season is 130 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the DelRio, Stubblefield, Touhey and Tubspring soils. DelRio soils are in depressions and are ashy. Stubblefield soils are on similar landscape positions as Tagear soils but are loamy- skeletal. Tubspring soils are on outwash plains and are moderately deep to sandy-skeletal glacial outwash. Touhey soils are found on similar landscape positions as Tagear soils but are moderately deep to a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for dryland grain production. Wheat and barley are the principal crops. Potential native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, needleandthread and basin big sagebrush. Native vegetation for Tagear, bedrock substratum on mounds is comprised of three distinct plant communities. The north aspect of the mounds is Idaho fescue and threetip sagebrush. The tops of the mounds is basin wildrye and basin big sagebrush. The south aspect of the mounds is bluebunch wheatgrass and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Douglas County, Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 13 inches and a cambic horizon from 13 to 27 inches. The particle size control section is from 10 to 40 inches ( A, Bw, Bk1, 2Bk2, 2Bk3 horizons ). Accumulations of secondary lime start at 27 inches. There is a weakly cemented duripan from 49 to 52 inches over dense basal till. The weighted average of rock fragments in the particle size control section is 11 percent.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data is available for this pedon, NSSL pedon number 89P0218, and for additional pedons, number 89P214 and 93P371.