LOCATION WINTERCANYON OR

Established Series
Rev. RJO/DAL
03/2013

WINTERCANYON SERIES

The Wintercanyon series consists of shallow, well drained soils on backslopes of mountains. Wintercanyon soils formed in colluvium and residuum from metasedimentary bedrock mixed with a small amount of volcanic ash. Slopes are 30 to 90 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Lithic Ultic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wintercanyon very gravelly ashy silt loam - forested, on a 65 percent southeast - facing slope at an elevation of 5,140 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 0.5 inch; slightly decomposed needles and twigs

A--0.5 to 6 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very gravelly ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) dry; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular and common medium tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.7); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bw--6 to 15 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular and common medium tubular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.7); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

R--15 inches; metasedimentary bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Oregon, about 1,590 feet west and 1,060 feet north of the southeast corner of Section 12, T. 9 S., R. 35 1/2 E. (Latitude - 47 degrees, 30 minutes, 00 seconds N. and Longitude - 118 degrees, 20 minutes, 39 seconds W.; USGS Mount Ireland Quadrangle.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil moisture - usually moist but are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days in the summer. Mean annual soil temperature - 41 to 47 degrees F. Particle-size control section - 10 to 18 percent clay with 35 to 75 percent rock fragments. Mollic epipedon - 10 to 16 inches thick. Depth to bedrock - 10 to 20 inches.

A horizon hue - 10YR. Value - 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry. Texture - GRV-ASHY-SIL. 0.3 to 0.9 percent acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron and 5 to 15 percent volcanic glass. Rock fragments - 35 to 50 percent total, with 20 to 40 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones. clay - 10 to 18 percent. Reaction is moderately acid.

Bw horizon hue - 10YR. Value - 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry. Chroma - 2 to 4 moist and dry. Texture - GRV-ASHY-L, GRV-ASHY-SIL, GRX-ASHY-SIL. 0.3 to 0.9 percent acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron and 5 to 15 percent volcanic glass. Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent total, with 35 to 60 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones. Clay - 10 to 18 percent. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.

COMPETING SERIES:
Chumstick -- shallow (10 to 20 inches) to a lithic contact (schist); formed in colluvium and residuum from schist, gneiss and granitic rock mixed with volcanic ash and loess; particle-size control section averages 3 to 8 percent clay; dry 75 to 90 consecutive days in summer
Fivebeaver -- shallow (10 to 20 inches) to a lithic contact (basalt); formed in colluvium from andesite or basalt; particle-size control section averages 27 to 35 percent clay
Laycock -- shallow (12 to 20 inches) to a lithic contact (shale); formed in weathered shale; particle-size control section has 35 to 75 percent channers
Thirstygulch -- shallow (10 to 20 inches) to a lithic contact (basalt); formed in colluvium from basalt. particle-size control section averages 15 to 40 percent gravel, 20 to 30 percent cobbles and 5 to 15 percent stones; reaction is slightly acid or neutral

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wintercanyon soils occur on backslopes of mountains. Elevations are 3,800 to 6,200 feet. Slopes are 30 to 90 percent. The soil is formed in colluvium and residuum from argillite mixed with a small amount of volcanic ash. The climate is characterized by cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 25 to 35 inches. The mean annual temperature is 39 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is 45 to 85 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Analulu, Deck, Kettlecreek and Slicklog soils. Analulu soils are moderately deep to bedrock and are on backslopes and ridges of mountains. Deck soils are moderately deep to bedrock, have a mollic epipedon with a mixed mantle of volcanic ash and loamy-skeletal cambic horizon. Kettlecreek soils are deep to argillite bedrock, have loamy-skeletal colluvium with a small amount of volcanic ash in surface horizons, and are on backslopes. Slicklog soils are very deep to bedrock and are on side slopes and fans of mountains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate 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, creeping Oregon grape, birchleaf spiraea, heartleaf arnica, tailcup lupine, showy aster, blue wildrye, vetch, elk sedge and pinegrass. The dominant USFS plant association is PSME/SYAL (Douglas-fir/common snowberry).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: 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 derived from Wintercanyon in Grant County.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - from 0.5 to 15 inches (A and Bw horizons).
Particle-size control section - from 10 to 15 inches (lower part of Bw horizon).
Vitrandic subgroup feature - volcanic glass content between 5 and 15 percent and Al + 1/2Fe (ammonium oxalate) between 0.3 and 0.9 percent - from 0.5 to 15 inches; (A and Bw horizons)

Revision on 09/2008 changes family mineralogy from mixed, superactive to isotic; adds an Oi horizon, recognizes vitrandic subgroup feature and ashy modifiers of texture, corrects errors in the range in characteristics, and competes series with other series in isotic family.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.