LOCATION TORCHSPRINGS ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, amorphic over isotic, frigid Alfic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Torchsprings ashy silt loam, woodland, on an 11 percent southwest-facing slope at an elevation of 3,890 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inches; grass, needles and twigs.
A--1 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; loose, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine, and few medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 16 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine and few medium roots; few fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 22 inches thick)
2EBtb--16 to 28 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few faint clay films on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; few fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 21 inches thick)
2Btb1--28 to 43 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many faint clay films on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 15 inches thick)
2Btb2--43 to 62 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) gravelly silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common faint clay films on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; 30 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5). (10 to 27 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Baker County, Oregon, Section 6, T. 7 S., R. 44 E.
Latitude: 44 degrees, 59 minutes, 22 seconds N.
Longitude: 117 degrees, 22 minutes, 33 seconds W.
UTM Coordinates: Zone: 11; Northing: 4,981,846.5; Easting: 470,373.3
USGS Quadrangle: Balm Creek Reservoir
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature Regime: frigid
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 44 to 47 degrees F
Mean Summer Soil Temperature: 53 to 58 degrees F
Mean Winter Soil Temperature: 34 to 38 degrees F
Soil Moisture Regime: xeric; dry 45 to 60 days in summer
Particle-size Control Section: mineral soil surface to 40 inches below the mineral surface
Upper Part (ashy): 15 to 29 inches thick
Clay content (weighted average): 4 to 8 percent
Rock fragment content (weighted average): 0 to 10 percent
Lower Part (loamy): 11 to 25 inches thick
Clay content (weighted average): 12 to 22 percent
Rock fragment content (weighted average): 5 to 30 percent
Rock fragment shape: rounded or subrounded
Diagnostic Horizons and Features:
andic soil properties; upper boundary at the mineral surface, 15 to 29 inches thick
Al+1/2Fe (aox): 1.0 to 2.5 percent
bulk density: 0.65 to 1.0 g/cc
P retention: 40 to 90 percent
0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 40 to 60 percent
glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction: 60 to 90 percent
water content at 1500 kPa (air dried): 5 to 12 percent
8Si + 2Fe (aox): 5 to 12 percent
8Si - 2Fe (aox): 4 to 8 percent
ochric epipedon: 3 to 7 inches thick
cambic horizon: 9 to 22 inches thick
argillic horizon: 13 to 33 inches thick
lithic contact, depth: greater than 60 inches
Major Horizons:
A horizon
color, moist: 5YR 2.5/2; 7.5YR 3/3; 10YR 2/2, 3/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 4/3, 5/3
texture: ASHY-SIL
clay content: 5 to 8 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
gravel: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline; pH: 6.1 to 7.8
organic carbon: 1.0 to 5.0 percent
Bw horizon (includes BC horizon in some pedons)
color, moist: 7.5 YR 3/4; 10YR 3/6, 4/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 4/4, 5/4, 6/3, 6/4, 7/4
texture: ASHY-SIL
clay content: 3 to 8 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 14 percent
gravel: 0 to 14 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
2EBtb horizon
color, moist: 7.5YR 3/4, 4/6; 10YR 4/3, 4/4
color, dry: 7.5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/6; 10YR 5/3, 5/4
texture: SIL, GR-SIL, GR-L
clay content: 5 to 20 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 25 percent
gravel: 0 to 25 percent
reaction: moderately acid to neutral; pH: 5.6 to 7.3
2Btb horizon
color, moist: 5YR 4/6; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/4; 10YR 4/4
color, dry: 5YR 5/6; 7.5YR 4/4, 4/6, 5/4, 5/6, 6/3
texture: GR-SIL, SIL, GRV-SIL, GR-L
clay content: 18 to 25 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 40 percent
gravel: 0 to 40 percent
cobbles: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: moderately acid to neutral: pH: 5.6 to 7.3
3BCb horizon (present in some pedons)
color, moist: 5YR 5/4; 7.5YR 3/4, 4/6
color, dry: 5YR 5/6; 7.5YR 4/4; 10YR 6/4
texture: SIL, GRX-SIL, GRV-SIL, GR-SIL
clay content: 12 to 18 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 70 percent
gravel: 0 to 40 percent
cobbles: 0 to 20 percent
stones: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid; pH: 5.1 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dohert (T) and Tolo series. The Brusher and Smiling series have similar classification with glassy mineralogy.
Dohert soils - 20 to 40 inches deep to fractured lithic bedrock (argillite or metasedimentary); loamy part of pscs has 5 to 20 percent subangular rock fragments of argillite or metasedimentary origin.
Tolo soils - loamy part of pscs has 0 to 35 percent subangular rock fragments of basalt origin; lower part of series control section below 40 inches contains up to 50 percent subangular cobbles and gravel of basalt origin.
Brusher soils - ashy part of pscs ranges to Ashy-L and Ashy-FSL with 5 to 18 percent clay, 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass, and glassy mineralogy; the loamy part of pscs has 0 to 25 percent subangular rock fragments of granitic or porphyritic origin; has 2E/B and 2B/E horizons below the ash mantle.
Smiling soils - ashy part of pscs is Ashy-SL with 5 to 15 percent clay and glassy mineralogy; loamy part of pscs has 5 to 35 percent subangular rock fragments of basalt or andesite origin.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: valley floors of glaciated mountains
Slope gradient: 0 to 30 percent.
Parent material: volcanic ash over loess and colluvium over till
Lithology: mixed
Elevation: 3,200 to 4,200 feet
Climate: cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation: 25 to 35 inches.
Mean annual temperature: 42 to 45 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 50 to 125 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Bigelk (T) soil which has less than 14 inches of volcanic ash and is associated with steeper mountain side slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: The Torchsprings series is well drained and permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and recreation
Native vegetation: grand fir, western larch, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, common snowberry, birchleaf spiraea, creeping Oregongrape, big huckleberry, Oregon boxwood, white flowered hawkweed, woods strawberry, meadowrue, showy aster, heartleaf arnica, pinegrass, elk sedge and mountain brome
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA E43c. Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. The soils are of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Baker County, Oregon; 2004. The name is derived from a stream in the Eaglecreek area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon: 1 to 6 inches; A
cambic horizon: 6 to 16 inches; Bw
argillic horizon: 28 to 62 inches; 2Btb1, 2Btb2
particle-size control section:
ashy part: 1 to 16 inches; A, Bw
loamy part: 16 to 41 inches; 2Eb, 2Btb1
Ecological site: ABGR/CARU; may include ABGR/SPBE and ABGR/VAME