LOCATION WALLOWA OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wallowa ashy silt loam - range. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common irregular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; few dark brown krotovinas; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary.
A2--5 to 11 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) ashy silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; few dark brown krotovinas; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 18 inches)
Bw1--11 to 22 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak medium and coarse prismatic and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; common large krotovinas; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bw2--22 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak coarse prismatic and weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 10 percent fine gravel; common large krotovinas; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2R--29 inches--basalt
TYPE LOCATION: Wallowa County, Oregon; 180 feet east of gate, 125 feet north of center of county road right-of-way; about 6 miles east of Wallowa; 1,400 feet north and 1,600 feet west of the SE corner of section 10, T. 1 N., R. 43 E. (Latitude 45 degrees, 34 minutes, 48 seconds N. and Longitude 117 degrees, 25 minutes, 25 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist but are dry for 60 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. The solum and depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon is 20 to 30 inches thick and includes the upper part of the Bw horizon.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry. It has 5 to 10 percent gravel. It has an estimated volcanic glass content of 5 to 20 percent and Alox + 1/2Feox of 0.4 to 1.0 percent. The soil reaction is slightly acid to neutral. Organic matter is 4 to 6 percent.
The Bw horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is silt loam with 18 to 27 percent clay and 15 to 25 percent coarser than very fine sand. It has 10 to 20 percent gravel. It has weak or moderate, prismatic and/or subangular blocky structure. The soil reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Albee, Goodalfs, and Wrightman series.
Albee soils- have a mollic epipedon 10 to 20 inches thick
Goodalfs soils - are very deep to bedrock and are somewhat poorly drained
Wrightman soils - are slightly acid in the Bw horizon. The Wallowa and Wrightman soils are similar and should be further investigated.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Wallowa soils are on summits of plateaus and structural benches and occur as continuous bodies of soil and as mounds in patterned land. Slopes are 2 to 15 percent. Elevations are 3,400 to 5,000 feet. The soils formed in loess with an influence of volcanic ash in the upper part. The climate is characterized by cold wet winters and hot dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 13 to 17 inches. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bocker, Hurwal, Powwatka, Snell, and Zumwalt soils. The Bocker soils are lithic and skeletal and commonly are in complex with the Wallowa soils. Hurwal and Powwatka soils have fine-silty argillic horizons. Hurwal soils are on north-facing slopes. Powwatka soils are on gently sloping plateaus and on side slopes. Snell soils are clayey-skeletal and are on adjacent side slopes. Zumwalt soils are in the fine family and are on very gently sloping foot slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used mainly for livestock grazing. The potential native vegetation is Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Oregon, MLRA 9; The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wallowa County, Oregon, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic (pachic) epipedon - the zone from the surface to 22 inches (A1, A2, and Bw1 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 22 to 29 inches (Bw2 horizon)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A1 and A2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 29 inches (lower A2, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data on two profiles (S64 Oreg-32-1 and 4) reported in the Riverside Soil Survey Laboratory Report for soils from Wallowa County, Oregon, July 1966.