LOCATION TURTLESPRINGS OR
Tentative Series
GJC/KLM/KMS
01/2019
TURTLESPRINGS SERIES
Landscape--plateaus
Landform--hillslopes, fans, swales, rotational landslides
Slope--2 to 40 percent
Parent material--clayey colluvium and residuum with a minor influence of volcanic ash in the surface; commonly derived from Turtlecove member of John Day Formation, but also derived from Clarno Formation
Mean annual precipitation--about 250 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 10 degrees C
Depth class--deep, very deep
Drainage class--poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aridic, bordering on aquic
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--aquic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aquic Natrargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Turtlesprings clay, rangeland, on a 20-percent, south-facing slope at an elevation of 570 m (When described on July 29, 2013, the soil was dry in the upper part and most in the lower part.)
A--0 to 5 cm; ashy sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine pores; 5 percent fine subangular gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); slightly effervescent; abrupt smooth boundary
2Btkn1--5 to 28 cm; clay, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine dendritic pores; many distinct clay films on ped faces; 1 percent faint white (10YR 8/1) irregular very fine carbonate masses; 1 percent fine subrounded gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); noneffervescent; clear smooth boundary
2Btkn2--28 to 61 cm; clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine dendritic pores; 5 percent distinct white (10YR 8/1) irregular very fine carbonate masses; common faint clay films on ped faces; common reddish brown (5YR 4/4) irregular medium iron-manganese masses; 1 percent fine subrounded gravel; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); violently effervescent; clear wavy boundary
2Bk--61 to 86 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine dendritic pores; common prominent white (10YR 8/1) irregular carbonate masses coating all ped surfaces; 8 percent subrounded gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3)
2BC1--86 to 127 cm; loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine dendritic pores; common prominent white (10YR 8/1) irregular carbonate masses coating all ped surfaces; 5 percent subrounded gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9)
2BC2--127 to 163 cm; sandy clay loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine tubular pores; many fine soft powdery carbonate masses; common carbonate masses coating all rock surfaces; common faint clay films on ped faces; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.7)
TYPE LOCATION: Wheeler County, Oregon, about 6 km west of Twickenham; 457 m east and 150 m north of the southwest corner of section 32, T. 9 S., R. 21 E., Willamette Meridian; latitude 44.742972, longitude -120.091228, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--8 to 12 degrees C
Soil moisture--usually saturated within 100 cm of soil surface for 1 month or more of year
Depth to bedrock--greater than 100 cm
Depth to secondary carbonates--2 to 30 cm
Depth to natric horizon--2 to 75 cm
Particle-size control section
*Clay content-- 35 to 50 percent
*Total rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent
A horizon
Chroma--3 to 5 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loam
Clay content--10 to 27 percent
Gravel content--0 to 15 percent
Reaction--7.4 to more than 9.0
Thickness--2 to 10 cm
2Btkn horizon
Hue--10YR, 5YR
Value--3 to 5 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma--3 to 7 moist or dry
Fine-earth texture--loam, clay loam, clay
Clay content--25 to 50 percent
Gravel content--0 to 15 percent
Sodium adsorption ratio--greater than 20
Reaction--7.4 to more than 9.0
Combined thickness--8 to 70 cm
2Bk horizon (where present)
Hue--2.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 to 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Fine-earth texture--clay loam, clay
Clay content--30 to 45 percent
Gravel content--0 to 20 percent
Paragravel content--0 to 20 percent
Reaction--7.4 to more than 9.0
Thickness--0 to 24 cm
2BC horizon
Hue--2.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 to 7 moist, 6 to 8 dry
Fine-earth texture--sandy clay loam, clay
Clay content--20 to 40 percent
Paragravel content--0 to 20 percent
Reaction--7.4 to more than 9.0
COMPETING SERIES:
Paragonah--no influence of volcanic ash in upper part
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--350 to 1100 m
Climate--warm, dry summers; cool, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--230 to 300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 12 degrees C
Frost-free period--90 to 150 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Brisbois--contact weathered tuff between 25 and 50 cm
Simas--on adjacent hillslopes; no natric horizon
Drewsey--coarse-loamy; in swales and on hillslopes
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained
Saturation in normal years--seasonal endosaturation below a depth of 25 cm in February through April and below a depth of 100 cm in May through June
Flooding--none
Ponding--none
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing, wildlife habitat
Potential natural vegetation--black greasewood, shadscale, saltbush, bluebunch wheatgrass, sand dropseed, alkali sacaton, basin big sagebrush
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Oregon; MLRA B-10; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Wheeler County, Oregon; 2014
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Natric horizon--zone from 5 to 61 cm
*Ochric epipedon--zone from 0 to 5 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 5 to 55 cm
*Secondary carbonates--zone from 2 to 127 cm
*Sodium adsorption ratio--greater than 13 throughout profile
3/2015--Aquic conditions are present in subsurface horizons with both episaturation and endosaturation due to a salt-affected perched water table at a depth of 20 to 61 cm in spring. Turtlesprings name is from Turtle Cove member of John Day Formation and influence of ground-fed springs.
2/2016--This official series description was updated according to SSR01 Technical Note--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015). Most of the changes were in formatting; no major technical changes were made.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.