LOCATION ICENE OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Aquisalids
TYPICAL PEDON: Icene fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Akn--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium platy; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; strongly effervescent (trace of calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated; SAR is 19; EC is 2 mmhos/cm; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 13 inches thick)
2Akn--5 to 10 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; violently effervescent (trace of calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated; SAR is 77; EC is 10 mmhos/cm; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
3Bknz--10 to 23 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine to coarse roots; violently effervescent (10 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated; SAR is 109; EC is 41 mmhos/cm; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
3BCknz--23 to 28 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; platy rock structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 10 percent paragravel composed of fractured weakly cemented lacustrine deposits; strongly effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates are disseminated; SAR is 97; EC is 38 mmhos/cm; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
4Cknz--28 to 65 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) paragravelly silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; platy rock structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard and brittle, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; about 25 percent paragravel composed of fractured weakly cemented lacustrine deposits; strongly effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate), carbonates segregated in common medium irregular seams and filaments; SAR is 58; EC is 28 mmhos/cm; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; in the Warner Valley about 4 miles north-northeast of Plush; in the SW 1/4 of the SW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of section 3, T. 36 S., R. 24 E.; USGS Plush 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; approximately 42 degrees 28 minutes 33 seconds north latitude and 119 degrees 52 minutes 57 seconds west longitude, NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - Usually dry in the moisture control section for more than half the time when the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F. The soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. from about March 15 to about November 15; Aridic moisture regime.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Depth to salic horizon - 5 to 15 inches.
Salic horizon thickness - 12 to 30 inches.
Particle-size control section - Clay content: Averages 20 to 30 percent; Sand content: 20 to 50 percent mostly fine sand and very fine sand, and has greater than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand.
A horizon - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 5 through 8 dry, 3 through 5 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 moist.
Structure: Platy or subangular blocky.
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through very strongly alkaline (up to pH 11.0).
Salinity (EC): 2 to 16 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 5 to 25.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent.
B and BC horizons - Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y.
Value: 6 through 8 dry, 3 through 6 moist.
Chroma: 2 through 4 moist.
Texture: Silt loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
Pararock fragments: 0 to 20 percent paragravel or parachanners in the BC horizon; Pararock fragments consist of weakly cemented silty lacustrine deposits that are fractured and that do not form a horizon or layer that is root-limiting. The majority of these fragments are water-stable and will not slake after air-drying and soaking in water for at least one hour.
Structure: Prismatic, subangular blocky, or angular blocky.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline through very strongly alkaline (up to pH 9.6).
Salinity (EC): greater than 30 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 90 to 120.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent.
C horizon - Hue: 10YR through 5Y.
Value: 6 thru 8 dry, 3 thru 7 moist.
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry, 1 through 3 moist.
Texture: Silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam with or without paragravelly modifiers; some pedons have thin strata of fine sandy loam, fine sand, and white volcanic ash.
Pararock fragments: 10 to 30 percent paragravel or parachanners; Pararock fragments consist of weakly cemented silty lacustrine deposits that are fractured and that do not form a horizon or layer that is root-limiting. The majority of these fragments are water-stable and will not slake after air-drying and soaking in water for at least one hour.
Reaction: Moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Salinity (EC): 16 to 32 mmhos/cm.
Sodicity (SAR): 20 to 70.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 3 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Laurel series. Laurel soils are stratified, have an aridic moisture regime that borders on ustic, and do not have horizons with pararock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Icene soils are on lake terraces. These soils formed in lacustrine deposits derived from volcanic rocks such as tuff and basalt. Surface mantles of eolian sand are commonly present. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. Elevations range from 4,200 to 4,800 feet. The climate is arid and characterized by cool, moist winters and warm, dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 6 to 10 inches, the mean annual temperature is 45 to 50 degrees F., and the frost-free period is 80 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Als, Helphenstein, Turpin, Mesman, and Reese soils. Als soils are on dunes and are sandy. Helphenstein, Turpin, Mesman, and Reese soils lack a salic horizon. Helphenstein are somewhat poorly drained and have EC less than 16 mmhos/cm. Turpin and Mesman soils are well drained. Turpin soils are very strongly alkaline throughout the profile and have an EC less than 16 mmhos/cm. Mesman soils have a natric horizon. Reese soils are poorly drained and have a very strongly sodic and saline surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; high surface runoff; slow permeability. Endosaturation is present with an apparent seasonal high water table between 2.0 and 6.0 feet (moderately deep to very deep free water occurrence classes) from November through April. Cumulative annual duration class is Common. Depth to ground water is greater than 60 inches in summer. Some phases are susceptible to rare or occasional ponding for brief or very brief duration from February through April with water up to 0.5 foot deep.
USE AND VEGETATION: Icene soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation is black greasewood, shadscale, spiny hopsage, basin wildrye, bud sagebrush, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Oregon. These soils are moderately extensive. MLRA 23.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County (Southern Part), Oregon, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to 5 inches (Akn horizon).
Salic horizon - The zone from 10 to 28 inches (3Bknz and 3BCknz horizons).
Endosaturation feature - The condition of ground water with an upper boundary between 24 and 40 inches at certain times during normal years (parts of the 3BCknz and 4Cknz horizons).
Particle-size control section - The zone from 10 to 40 inches (3Bknz and 3BCknz horizons and part of the 4Cknz horizon).
The superactive cation exchange activity class was added in 03/2003 to the taxonomic classification by the National Soil Survey Center on request of the Reno MLRA office, without review of the soil series property data.
ADDITIONAL DATA: The typical pedon at the series type location is reference sampled with partial characterization data by the Soil Survey Laboratory (SSL), Lincoln, NE, as soil survey sample number S86OR-037-003 (pedon # 86P0989).