LOCATION VIL                     OR

Established Series
Rev. JVC
06/2012

VIL SERIES

The Vil series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Vil soils are on fan remnants and high stream terraces. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual air temperature is about 12 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, shallow Argiduridic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Vil silt loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A1--0 to 15 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)

A2--15 to 23 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--23 to 33 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 10 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--33 to 41 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent fine gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 15 to 20 cm thick)

2Bqm--41 to 94 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cemented material, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm and brittle, indurated by secondary silica; coats of secondary opal on gravel; abrupt wavy boundary. (51 to 76 cm thick)

2Bq--94 to 152 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; weak discontinuous cementation; 45 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Harney County, Oregon; about 4 miles northeast of Wagontire Mountain; approximately 250 feet north and 2,450 feet west of the southeast corner of section 16, T. 25 S., R. 24 E.; USGS Hay Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 23 minutes 54 seconds N. and longitude 119 degrees 50 minutes 44 seconds W; NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry but are moist for more than one fourth of the time when the soil temperature exceeds 5 degrees C during normal years; aridic soil moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 7 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness: 18 to 25 cm.
Depth to base of argillic horizon: 38 to 50 cm
Depth to duripan: 38 to 50 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 20 to 30 percent;
Rock fragments: 10 to 30 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments is volcanic rocks such as tuff or basalt.

A horizons
Value: 4 or 5 dry.
Structure: Weak fine or medium granular or subangular blocky structure.
Rupture resistance: Soft or slightly hard.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

Bt1 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Clay loam or loam.

Bt2 horizon
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay loam or gravelly loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arness and Blayden series. Arness soils have lithic contacts at depths of 50 to 100 cm. Blayden soils have 10 to 30 percent volcanic glass in the A horizons with oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half oxalate extractable iron of less than 0.4 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vil soils are on fan remnants and high stream terraces. These soils formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks such as tuff and basalt. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. Elevations range from 1,219 to 1,524 meters. The climate is semiarid with cold, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 6 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Wagontire soil. Wagontire soils are clayey and shallow to duripans.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Vil soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation is Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber's needlegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg's bluegrass, Indian ricegrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, and spiny hopsage.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are not extensive with about 7,500 acres of the series mapped to date. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lincoln County (Meadow Valley Area), Nevada, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 23 cm (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 23 to 41 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 41 to 94 cm (2Bqm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 23 to 41 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

The revision of August 2008 moved the type location from Lincoln County, Nevada to Harney County, Oregon to the pedon that now represents the occurrence of the series. More study is needed of the volcanic glass content in the A horizons of this soil to adequately gauge the difference with the Blayden series.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.