LOCATION WEBERG ORTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic Vitrandic Haplocryalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Weberg gravelly ashy silt loam - forested, on a 2 percent slope at an elevation of 5,135 feet. (When described on July 15, 2002, the upper 25 inches were dry, from 25 to 60 inches it was moist, and a water table was at 60 inches. Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak thin platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many very fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium and fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 20 inches.)
AB--8 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly ashy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine interstitial and common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--18 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly ashy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular and few very fine interstitial pores; many distinct clay films on rock fragments and faces of peds; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary.
Bt2--25 to 37 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely gravelly ashy sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of ped and lining pores; 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 15 to 20 inches.)
2Bq1--37 to 54 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) extremely gravelly loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; common distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry, redox concentrations; massive; slightly hard, firm, brittle, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; 20 percent weakly cemented material; neutral (pH 6.9).
2Bq2--54 to 60 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; common distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry, redox concentrations; massive; slightly hard, firm, brittle, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon; in Logan Valley, about 25 miles southeast of John Day and about 20 miles east of Seneca, Oregon, near the Lake Creek Organization Camp; about 600 feet east and 20 feet north of the southwest corner of section 10, T. 16 S., R. 34 E., (Logan Valley West USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle, 44 degrees, 11 minutes, 35 seconds north latitude and 118 degrees, 38 minutes, 44 seconds west longitude.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 37 to 43 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry for 30 to 45 consecutive days during the summer. Depth to the discontinuous hard brittle layer (Bq) is 35 to 50 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. Depth to redoximorphic features and a seasonal water table is 30 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section averages 35 to 50 percent rock fragments.
The A horizon has value of 3 to 5 moist and 4 to 6 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It is gravelly ashy silt loam with 5 to 15 percent clay. Estimated volcanic glass is 10 to 30 percent and estimated acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half acid oxalate iron is 0.2 to 0.4 percent. It has 15 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
The Bt horizon has value of 4 or 5 moist and dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is ashy loam or ashy sandy clay loam with 20 to 30 percent clay. Estimated volcanic glass is 5 to 20 percent and estimated acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron is 0.2 to 0.4 percent. It has 20 to 50 percent gravel and 5 to 25 percent cobbles.
The 2Bq horizon has value of 4 or 5 moist and 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. It is loam with 18 to 27 percent clay, 35 to 55 percent gravel, and 10 to 30 percent cobbles. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Weberg soils are on glacial outwash plains in mountain valleys. These soils formed in glaciofluvial deposits with mixed volcanic ash in the upper part. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. Elevations are 5,000 to 5,800 feet. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers. The mountain valleys are subject to cold air drainage and frost pockets. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 30 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 35 to 41 degrees F. The frost-free period is 10 to 30 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Frenchcabin, Loganvalley, Magill, Stanbro, and Starglade soils. Frenchcabin soils are fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, somewhat poorly drained, and are on convex humps within mountain meadows. Loganvalley soils are loamy-skeletal, well drained, and are on fan remnants. Magill and Starglade soils are well drained, loamy-skeletal, and are on hills. Stanbro soils are organic, very poorly drained, and are on fens.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, a water table is at a depth of 30 to 40 inches in the spring; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production and livestock grazing. The present vegetation is mainly lodgepole pine, elk sedge, mountain big sagebrush, and ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountain valleys of east-central Oregon; MLRA 43. The series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Grant County, Oregon, 2003. The name is from the Weberg Ranch on the Suplee Butte USGS quadrangle, Grant County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon
Argillic horizon - The zone from about 18 to 37 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 18 to 37 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons) averages about 47 percent rock fragments.
Vitrandic feature - 0 to 37 inches (A1, A2, AB, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons).
Udic moisture regime