LOCATION TUB OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Tub gravelly clay loam, cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravelly clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 12 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravelly clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium prismatic and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; nearly continuous faint clay films on peds and in pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt2--12 to 20 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly clay, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium prismatic and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; continuous faint very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay films on peds and in pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
Bt3--20 to 29 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly silty clay, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; continuous faint clay films on peds and in pores; 20 percent gravel; moderately calcareous; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Btk--29 to 37 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; faint nearly continuous clay films on peds; light gray soft secondary lime; gravel and cobbles lime-coated; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2Bk--37 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) cobbly loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine pores; 15 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; strongly calcareous; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Wasco County, Oregon; 300 feet west of Tub Springs Road where road turns northwest from due east-west on section line between section 27 and 34, T. 8 S., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are moist in some part above a depth of 12 inches for at least 1/2 the time (cumulative) during the period the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. They are dry throughout between depths of 4 and 12 inches for 70 to 90 consecutive days in most years within the 4-month period following the summer solstice (xeric soil moisture regime). The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 25 inches thick. The solum is commonly gravelly or cobbly, ranging from 10 to 45 percent rock fragments. The particle-size control section averages 15 to 35 percent rock fragments. Cobbles range from 0 to 20 percent and gravel from 10 to 25 percent. The percentage of surface covered with stones is 0 to 15 percent. Depth to consolidated bedrock is 40 to over 60 inches. Depth to secondary lime 18 to 37 inches.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry.
The Bt horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It has 40 to 60 percent clay. It has weak to moderate prismatic structure and moderate to strong subangular blocky to angular blocky structure.
The Bk and Btk horizons are loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. It has value of 3 to 7 moist, 5 to 8 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It has 0 to 40 percent rock fragments, mostly cobbles and gravel. It is firm or very firm. It is mildly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are the Ayette, Darow, Forsgren, Gimmi, Hann, Karney, McDesh, Kuck, Montour, and Ukiah series. Ayette soils are deep to a paralithic contact, are not pachic and lack carbonates. Darow, Gimmi, Karney, Kuck and Ukiah soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact. McDesh soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Foresgren soils are not pachic and have secondary carbonates at 40 to 55 inches. Hann soils lack secondary carbonates. Moutour soils have stratified sandy and loamy materials below the argillic horizon and occur within 40 inches of the soil surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tub soils are on hilly uplands at elevations of 2,600 to 4,500 feet. Slope gradients range from 1 to 70 percent. The soil formed in fine textured old calcareous sediments of volcanic origin. The mean annual precipitation is 11 to 14 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., the mean summer temperature is 61 to 64 degrees F., and the mean winter temperature is 30 to 34 degrees F. The frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Curant, Day, Degner, Donnybrook, Ginser, Gribble, McMeen, Rail, Ridgeway, Schrier and Simas soils. Curant soils are on north-facing slopes and have a moderately fine textured cambic horizon. Day and Ridgeway soils are very fine textured, lack an argillic horizon and have intersecting slickensides. Degner soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. Donnybrook soils are less than 20 inches deep to bedrock. Ginser soils are on north-facing slopes at higher elevations and have mean annual soil temperature of less than 47 degrees F., and have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the control section. McMeen soils have a duripan and are moderately fine textured. Rail soils lack an argillic horizon and are poorly drained. Schrier soils are fine-loamy and lack an argillic horizon. Simas soils have an aridic soil moisture regime and a mollic epipedon less than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Tub soils are used for small grains and for livestock grazing. Native plants are bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Sandberg bluegrass, and related forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Oregon; MLRA 10. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wasco County (Trout Creek-Shaniko Area), Oregon, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 29 inches (Ap, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 12 to 29 inches (Bt2 and Bt3 horizons)
Calcic feature - soft powdery secondary lime at 29 inches (Btk horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 12 to 29 inches; clay content is over 40 percent throughout
The Tub series was established in 1970. The Geoconda series was established in 1984 and updated in 1988, in neither description was the Tub series differentiated. The series are very similar except for the fact that the remarks paragraph in the Geoconda series states that a calcic horizon is present at 25 to 57 inches. These two series need further review.
Reclassification from Calcic Pachic to Vertic Argixerolls 4/96.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data on two profiles (S57-ORE-33-15 and S57-ORE-33-16) reported in Riverside Soil Survey Laboratory Report for soils sampled in Wasco, Sherman and Gilliam Counties in Oregon, May, 1959.