LOCATION WAGONTIRE OR

Established Series
Rev. JVC/JBF
06/2011

WAGONTIRE SERIES

The Wagontire series consists of shallow to a duripan, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Wagontire soils are on fan remnants and alluvial terraces. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 280 mm and the mean annual temperature is about 6 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, frigid, shallow Argiduridic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wagontire gravelly clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 5 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

AB--5 to 13 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many roots; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bt1--13 to 28 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; common very fine tubular pores; common moderately thick clay films; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bt2--28 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bqm--38 to 102 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) cemented material, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; indurated by opaline silica; many cobbles and gravel; opal coats on rock fragments; effervescent in lower part; abrupt wavy boundary. (38 to 76 cm thick)

C--102 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; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).

TYPE LOCATION: Harney County, Oregon; west of the Gap Ranch-Wagontire road and 30 feet south of a side road; about 300 feet south and 300 feet east of the northwest corner of section 33, T. 25 S., R. 24 E.; USGS Wagontire Mountain East 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 22 minutes 06 seconds N and longitude 119 degrees 51 minutes 21 seconds W; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Usually dry for more than half the time when the soil temperature is warmer than 5 degrees C; aridic moisture regime that borders on xeric.
Mean annual soil temperature: 6 to 8 degrees C.
Mollic epipedon thickness; 25 to 50 cm.
Depth to duripan; 36 to 50 cm.
Depth to bedrock: Greater than 150 cm.

Particle-size control section - Clay content: 35 to 50 percent:
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent, mainly gravel. Lithology of fragments are volcanic rocks such as basalt and tuff.

A horizon
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist.
Structure: Weak or moderate fine granular or subangular blocky.
Organic matter content: 1 to 3 percent.

Bt horizons
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR.
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist.
Texture: Gravelly clay or gravelly clay loam.
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent.
Rock fragments: 15 to 35 percent.
Organic matter content: 1 or 2 percent.

C horizon
Texture: Very gravelly loam or very gravelly sandy loam.
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Cameek series. Cameek soils have secondary gypsum and redoximorphic features in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wagontire soils are fan remnants and alluvial terraces. These soils formed in alluvium derived from volcanic rocks. Slopes are 2 to 20 percent. Elevations range from 1,220 to 1,570 meters. The climate is semiarid with cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 250 to 300 mm, the mean annual temperature is 5 to 7 degrees C, and the frost-free period is 50 to 80 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gradon, Pernty, and Vil series. Gradon soils are fine-loamy and have a duripan at a depth of 50 to 100 cm. Pernty soils are less than 50 cm deep to bedrock and are loamy-skeletal. Vil soils are loamy.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Wagontire soils are used for rangeland. The vegetation is low sagebrush, Sandberg's bluegrass, cheatgrass, bottlebrush squirreltail, serrated balsamroot, and other forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harney County, Oregon, 1997.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 38 cm (A, AB, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 13 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Duripan - The zone from 38 to 102 cm (Bqm horizon).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 13 to 38 cm (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: There is laboratory data on the typical pedon from the type location sampled as S78OR-25-1-4 and determined by O.S.U.

Previous authors and editors include: REH-AON-TDT.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.