LOCATION TUFFCABIN               OR

Established Series
Rev. MPK-JVC-JBF
06/2011

TUFFCABIN SERIES

The Tuffcabin series consists of deep to a buried duripan, well drained soils that formed in eolian deposits over lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic ash and pumice. Tuffcabin soils are on beach ridges. Slopes are 0 to 10 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 230 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, glassy, frigid Vitritorrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Tuffcabin ashy sandy loam--on a one percent hummocky slope at an elevation of 1,315 meters--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. When described on July 28, 1998, the soil surface was dry and the subsoil was moist.)

A1--0 to 13 cm; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 25 cm thick)

A2--13 to 48 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 36 cm thick)

A3--48 to 58 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine, common medium, and common coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; distinct very thin eolian laminae; strongly effervescent; about 10 percent fine (2 to 5 mm diameter) pumice paragravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 cm thick)

Bw--58 to 76 cm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, many fine and common medium roots; common fine interstitial pores; common distinct very thin eolian laminae; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)

2Btnb--76 to 117 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and common fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films lining pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear smooth boundary. (13 to 50 cm thick)

3Bqkmb--117 to 137 cm; white (10YR 8/1) cemented material, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; strong very thick platy structure; very hard, extremely firm, moderately cemented by opaline silica; few very fine roots in fractures between plates; common faint opal coats lining pores and common fine and medium opal pendants on bottoms of plates; strongly effervescent; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine coats on bottoms of plates; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 25 cm thick)

3Ckb--137 to 157 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; secondary carbonates segregated as few fine masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; in Paulina Marsh about 7 miles north-northeast of the community of Silver Lake; approximately 2,200 feet south and 1,200 feet west of the northeast corner of section 14, T. 27 S., R. 14 E.; USGS Silver Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 13 minutes 45.4 seconds N and longitude 121 degrees 1 minute 8.1 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Moist in the moisture control section in winter and spring, dry in summer and fall; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 58 cm.
Recent mantle thickness and depth to buried argillic horizon: 60 to 90 cm.
Depth to buried duripan: 100 to 150 cm.
Depth to bedrock: More than 150 cm.
Volcanic glass content: 75 to 100 percent in coarse silt through very coarse sand fractions.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 18 to 24 percent.

A horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy loam or ashy loam in A2 and A3 horizons.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Noneffervescent through strongly effervescent.
Other features: Very thin eolian strata (laminae) are present in the A3 horizons of some pedons.

Bw horizon (when present)
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy sandy loam or ashy loam.
Clay content: 12 to 20 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent.
Other features: Very thin eolian strata (laminae) are present which constitutes rock structure and prevents this horizon from being a cambic horizon.

2Btnb horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy loam or ashy clay loam.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): 4 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 13.

3Bqkmb horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 4 or 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Cementation class: Moderately cemented or strongly cemented.

3Ck horizon
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 1 through 3, dry or moist.
Texture: Ashy fine sandy loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy loam.
Clay content: 5 to 20 percent.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Boltz, Bonnick, Borobey, Emamount, Embal, Frentera, Gardone, Oatmanflat, Picturerock, Stookmoor, and Wegert series.

Boltz soils are moderately deep to paralithic contacts. Bonnick, Borobey, Embal, Gardone, and Picturerock soils are very deep and do not have buried duripans within 150 cm of the soil surface. Emamount soils are very deep and have endosaturation within 183 cm of the soil surface. Frentera, Stookmoor, and Wegert soils are moderately deep to lithic contacts. Oatmanflat soils are more moist and do not have free carbonates, sodium adsorption ratio of 5 to 13, or pH up to 9.6 within 100 cm of the soil surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tuffcabin soils are on beach ridges with hummocky microrelief. These soils formed in eolian deposits over lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic ash and pumice. Slopes are 1 to 10 percent. Elevations range from 1,310 to 1,345 meters. The climate is semiarid and characterized by cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 200 to 250 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 70 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bunyard, Chinarise, and Paulina soils. Bunyard, Chinarise and Paulina soils are very deep and do not have buried duripans within 150 cm of the soil surface.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; low surface runoff; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Tuffcabin soils are used for livestock grazing. The vegetation is mainly basin big sagebrush, black greasewood, creeping wildrye, and basin wildrye.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are not extensive with about 364 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Davis, California.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County (Northern Part), Oregon, 2006. The name is coined.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 58 cm (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Vitrandic intergrade feature - The zone from the soil surface to 76 cm (A1, A2, A3, and Bw horizons).
Buried argillic horizon - The zone from 76 to 117 cm (2Btnb horizon).
Buried duripan - The zone from 117 to 137 cm (3Bqkmb horizon).
Particle-size control section and ashy substitute class with glassy mineralogy - The zone from 25 to 100 cm (A3 and Bw horizons and parts of the A2 and 2Btnb horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Volcanic glass content in the A2, 2Btnb, and 3Ck horizons determined locally by optical grain count using a polarizing petrographic microscope.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.