LOCATION TOWERMOUNTAIN ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Typic Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Towermountain ashy silt loam - woodland, on a 10 percent northwest-facing slope at an elevation of 5,850 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. Andic soil materials are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; needles and twigs
Oe--2 to 3 inches; decomposed organic matter
A--3 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots throughout; common very fine irregular and few fine and very fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.10); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; few very fine and fine, and common medium roots throughout; common very fine and few fine tubular and few very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 13 inches thick)
2Ab--18 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) very gravelly silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine, fine and coarse roots throughout; common very fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
2Bwb--21 to 29 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots throughout; common very fine and few fine irregular pores; 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
2Cr--29 inches; weathered rhyolitic tuff.
TYPE LOCATION: Umatilla County, Oregon,
Section 25 (NW 1/4, NE 1/4, SE 1/4), T. 6 S., R. 34 E.
UTM Zone 11; 4985580 northing; 370090 easting
Latitude: 45 degrees, 00 minutes, 42 seconds
Longitude: 118 degrees, 38 minutes, 55 seconds
USGS Quadrangle: Tower Mountain
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Temperature: cryic regime
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 38 to 43 degrees F
Mean Summer Soil Temperature: 44 to 52 degrees F
Mean Winter Soil Temperature: 32 to 36 degrees F
Soil Moisture: udic regime, dry 30 to 45 days in summer
Particle-size Control Section: from the mineral soil surface to a paralithic contact
Upper part (ashy): 14 to 18 inches thick
Clay content: 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
Lower part (loamy-skeletal): 10 to 22 inches thick
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 65 percent
Rock fragment shape: subangular
Diagnostic Horizons and Features:
andic soil properties: upper boundary at the mineral soil surface, 14 to 18 inches thick
Al+1/2Fe(aox): 1.5 to 3.0 percent
bulk density: 0.65 to 1.00 g/cc
P retention: 60 to 90 percent
0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 40 to 60 percent of <2mm
glass content in the 0.02-2.0 mm fraction: 60 to 90 percent
water content at 1500 kPa tension(air dried soil): 5 to 12 percent
8Si + 2Fe(aox): 5 to 12 percent
8Si - 2Fe(aox): 4 to 8 percent
ochric epipedon: 2 to 5 inches thick
cambic horizon: upper part 10 to 13 inches thick
lower part 8 t0 12 inches thick
paralithic contact depth: 24 to 40 inches
Major Horizons:
A horizon
color, moist: 7.5YR 2.5/2, 3/2; 10YR 4/3
color, dry: 7.5YR 5/4; 10YR 5/3, 6/3, 6/4
texture: ASHY-SIL
clay content: 5 to 10 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
gravel: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: moderately acid to neutral; pH: 5.6 to 7.3
base saturation (sum of bases): 25 to 40 percent
organic matter: 2 to 10 percent
Bw horizon: (Bw1, Bw2 in some pedons)
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/3, 4/4, 5/4; 10YR 4/3, 5/4
color, dry: 10YR 6/3, 6/4, 7/3, 7/4, 8/3
texture: ASHY-SIL
clay content: 5 to 10 percent
rock fragment content: 0 to 15 percent
gravel: 0 to 10 percent
cobbles: 0 to 5 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
base saturation (sum of bases): 20 to 35 percent
organic matter: 1 to 3 percent
2Ab horizon: (2Eb, 2AEb 2EAb in some pedons)
color, moist: 7.5YR 4/3, 5/3; 10YR 4/2, 5/3
color, dry: 10YR 6/2, 6/3, 7/2, 7/3
texture: GRV-SL, GRV-L
clay content: 10 to 18 percent
rock fragment content: 35 to 50 percent
gravel: 25 to 40 percent
cobbles: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: slightly acid to neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3
base saturation (sum of bases): 55 to 85 percent
2Bwb horizon: (2BCb in some pedons)
color, moist: 7.5YR 5/3; 10YR 3/2, 5/3, 7/2; 2.5Y 5/3
color, dry: 5YR 7/1; 10YR 7/1, 7/3, 8/2
texture: GRV-SL, CBX-SL, GRX-SL, GRV-L, CBV-SIL, CBV-SL
clay content: 10 to 18 percent
rock fragment content: 35 to 75 percent
gravel: 25 to 60 percent
cobbles: 0 to 30 percent
stones: 0 to 10 percent
reaction: slightly acid or neutral; pH: 6.1 to 7.3.
base saturation (sum of bases): 65 to 85 percent
COMPETING SERIES:
Towermountain (T)-moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a paralithic contact, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from rhyolitic tuff
Angelpeak-deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is slightly acid or neutral and has 60 to 85 percent angular rock fragments, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from argillite
Ashnola (T)-moderately deep and deep (35 to 50 inches) to a densic contact, very deep (>60 inches) to bedrock, ashy part of the pscs is gravelly ashy sandy loam and less than 50 percent silt, formed in volcanic ash over till from sedimentary and volcanic rocks
Bucketlake-very deep (>60 inches), loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subrounded and rounded rock fragments and clay content of 5 to 15 percent, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite
Ducklake (T)-deep (40 to 60 inches) to a densic contact, very deep (>60 inches) to bedrock, ashy part of the pscs is stony ashy silt loam with more than 50 percent silt, loamy-skeletal part of pscs has rounded or well rounded rock fragments, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite
Lackeyshole (T)-deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is slightly acid or neutral and has 35 to 55 percent subangular rock fragments and less than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from andesitic basalt and basalt
McCalpinemeadow (T)-moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact; loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular rock fragments, more than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, and clay content of 5 to 10 percent; formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from granite and granodiorite
Mountemily-very deep (>60 inches), loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular and angular rock fragments and clay content of 18 to 30 percent, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from basalt
Mudlakebasin (T)-moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has well rounded and rounded rock fragments, and clay content of 4 to 18 percent, formed in volcanic ash over till from granite
Troutmeadows -moderately deep (20 to 40 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of the pscs has subangular rock fragments, less than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, and clay content of 10 to 18 percent, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from basalt
Ufish (T)-deep (40 to 60 inches) to a lithic contact, loamy-skeletal part of pscs is strongly acid to slightly acid, and has 35 to 60 percent subrounded or subangular rock fragments and more than 25 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand, formed in volcanic ash over colluvium from granite and granodiorite
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: depositional convex to planar, upper backslopes to toeslopes of rhyolitic volcanic cones
Slope gradient: 5 to 35 percent
Parent material: volcanic ash over colluvium from rhyolitic tuff
Lithology: rhyolitic tuff
Elevation: 600 to 6,400 feet
Climate: cold, wet winters; warm, dry summers
Mean annual precipitation: 25 to 39 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 36 to 41 degrees F.
Frost-free period: 25 to 65 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bordengulch-occurs on convex mid to upper slopes and ridges; ash mantle is less than 14 inches in depth
Angelpeak-occurs on planar to concave, mid to lower slopes; 40 to 60 inches to a lithic contact
Vanandamine (T)-occurs on planar to convex mid slopes with steep gradients; 40 to 60 inches to a lithic contact; ash mantle is less than 14 inches in depth
Eastlakes (T)-occurs on convex to planar, upper slopes to shoulder slopes; 10 to 20 inches to a lithic contact; ash is mixed with other soil material
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well to somewhat excessively drained
Permeability: moderate
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: Timber production, recreation, wildlife, watershed
Native vegetation: Lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, grand fir, western larch, Engelmann spruce, grouse whortleberry, big huckleberry, pinemat manzanita, longtube twinflower, Prince's pine, western hawkweed, roundleaf violet, sidebells wintergreen, heartleaf arnica, Virginia strawberry, pinegrass and northwestern sedge
Ecological site: PICO(ABLA)/VAME/CARU, ABLA/VAME, PICO(ABLA)/VASC
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
MLRA- E43
Distribution- South Central Blue Mountains in Middle Fork and North Fork drainages of John Day River.
Extent- Moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Umatilla County, Oregon 2003. The name was from Tower Mountain on the Tower Mountain quadrangle.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon 3 to 6 inches A
cambic horizon 6 to 18 inches Bw
andic soil properties 3 to 18 inches A, Bw
particle-size control section 3 to 29 inches A, Bw, 2Bwb
ashy part 3 to 18 inches A, Bw
loamy-skeletal part 18 to 29 inches 2Bwb
paralithic contact 29 inches 2Cr