LOCATION VOLSTEAD                OR

Established Series
Rev. AEK/RJO/DAL
03/2013

VOLSTEAD SERIES

The Volstead series consists of deep, well drained soils on back slopes of dissected plateaus. Volstead soils are formed in volcanic ash overlying colluvial and residual material derived from volcanic tuffs overlying basalt. Slopes are 0 to 60 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 20 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vitrandic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Volstead ashy silt loam, woodland, on a 10 percent northeast - facing slope at an elevation of 4,120 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted and andic soil material are apparent field textures.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; needles and twigs and logs.

A--1 to 10 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) ashy silt loam, dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, medium, and coarse and many fine roots; common fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

Bw--10 to 14 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine and medium; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine, very fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)

2Eb--14 to 24 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and common fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)

2Btb1--24 to 39 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) gravelly clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; moderately fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common faint clay films on ped faces; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.3); gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 15 inches thick)

2Btb2--39 to 49 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few clay films on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)

3R--49 inches; basalt bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon, about 2,640 feet east and 50 feet south of the northwest corner of section 16, T. 3 N., R. 46 E. (Latitude 45 degrees, 44 minutes, 59 seconds N., and Longitude 117 degrees, 06 minutes, 48 seconds W.) USGS Greenwood Butte Quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture - usually moist but are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days in the summer. Mean annual soil temperature - 44 to 47 degrees F. Particle-size control section - 35 to 45 percent clay with 5 to 35 percent rock fragments. Mollic epipedon - 10 to 20 inches thick. Depth to bedrock - 40 to 60 inches.

Vitrandic feature thickness - 10 to 20 inches. Organic matter - 1 to 5 percent. Acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron - 0.5 to 1.0 percent. Phosphate retention - 30 to 40 percent. Particles of 0.02 to 2.0 mm - 40 to 60 percent. volcanic glass content - 10 to 15 percent. 15-bar water retention on air-dried sample - 15 to 25 percent.

A horizon hue - 7.5YR or 5YR. Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry. Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry. Texture - ashy SIL. Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent total with 0 to 10 percent gravel. Clay - 10 to 15 percent. Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3.

Bw horizon hue - 7.5YR or 5YR. Value - 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry. Chroma - 2 or 3 moist or dry. Texture - ashy SIL, ashy L. Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent total with 0 to 10 percent gravel. Clay - 10 to 15 percent. Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3.

2Eb or 2EBb horizon hue - 7.5YR or 5YR. Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry. Chroma - 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry. Texture - SIL, CL, L, GR-CL, GR-SIL. Rock fragments - 0 to 20 percent total with 0 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles. Clay - 18 to 30 percent. Reaction - 6.6 to 7.3

2Btb horizon hue - 7.5YR or 5YR. Value - 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry. Chroma - 3 or 4 moist, 3 to 6 dry. Texture - C, CL, GR-CL, GR-C, CB-CL, CB-C. Rock fragments - 5 to 30 percent total with 5 to 20 percent gravel and 0 to 20 percent cobbles. clay - 35 to 45 percent. Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Volstead soils occur on back slopes of dissected plateaus. Elevations are 2,800 to 4,600 feet. Slopes are 0 to 60 percent. The soil is formed in volcanic ash overlying colluvial material derived from volcanic tuffs overlying basalt. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 24 inches. The mean annual air temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 110 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Anatone, Deadend, Klickson, Larabee, Melhorn and Quirk. Anatone soils are on nonforested convex positions of benches and ridges and are loamy-skeletal and shallow. Deadend soils are very shallow to bedrock and are on steep back slopes. Klickson soils are on steep side slopes with a planar surface shape and are loamy-skeletal. Larabee soils are on steep side slopes with a more convex position and are loamy-skeletal. Quirk soils are on ridges and benches with a more planar position and are moderately deep to bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for watershed, wildlife habitat, timber production, livestock grazing and recreation. The native vegetation is Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, common snowberry, birchleaf spiraea, serviceberry, roses, heartleaf arnica, blueleaf strawberry, woods strawberry, silky lupine, bigleaf sandwort, red avens, pinegrass, elk sedge and mountain brome.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon; MLRA 9. The soils are of limited extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County, Oregon, 1998. The name is from a stock pond on the Billy Meadows 7.5 min quad.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - from 1 to 14 inches (A and Bw horizon)

Argillic horizon - from 24 to 49 inches (2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons)

Vitrandic feature - from 1 to 14 inches (A and Bw horizon)

COLE - from 1 to 41 inches having an estimated extensibility value of 5.2 cm based on the shrink-swell ratings.

Particle-size control section - from 24 to 44 inches having 35 to 45 percent clay and rock fragment weighted average of 16 percent

The dominant USFS potential plant community is PSME/SYAL but may include PSME/SYOR or PIPO/SYAL.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.