LOCATION REDCANYON OREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Redcanyon extremely bouldery loam, on a south-facing slope of about 45 percent in rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted).
A--0 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) extremely bouldery loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; weak medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; 40 percent boulders, 10 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
AB--8 to 18 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very bouldery loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; 25 percent boulders, 15 percent stones, 5 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
Bw--18 to 29 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely bouldery loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine, few medium and coarse roots; 20 percent boulders, 15 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bk--29 to 31 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely bouldery loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; few fine carbonate filaments; carbonate coatings on the underside of rock fragments; violently effervescent; 40 percent boulders, 15 percent stones, 10 percent cobbles, 15 percent gravel; mildly alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
R--31 inches; fractured basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Oregon; about 2 miles northwest of Valley Falls, in the SE1/4 NW1/4 SE1/4 of section 22, T. 35 S., R. 20 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. The soils are usually dry and are moist in the winter and early spring. The soils are dry throughout the moisture control section from about July through October. The soil temperature is above 41 degrees F.
f.om mid-April through mid-November. Depth to bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to secondary carbonates is 15 to 30 inches. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 20 inches thick. Mollic colors can extend to a depth of over 20 inches but organic matter content is less than 1 percent at these depths and the color is bedrock influenced. The particle-size control section has 18 to 30 percent clay and averages 50 to 70 percent rock fragments, dominantly boulders and stones. Hue is 10YR or 7.5 YR.
The A horizon, and AB horizon if present, has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.
The Bw horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loam or clay loam with 50 to 70 percent rock fragments and 20 to 30 percent clay. It is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loam with 60 to 80 percent rock fragments and 18 to 27 percent clay. It is mildly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Heytou, Nighthawk, Olex and Peshastin series. All of these series are over 40 inches deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Redcanyon soils are on sideslopes of hills and mountains and are associated with rock outcrop. They formed in colluvium over basalt and tuff. Slopes are 30 to 50 percent. Elevations are 4,200 to 4,800 feet. The climate is characterized by cool moist winters and hot dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free period is 70 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Eglirim and Lorella soils. Eglirim and Lorella soils have an argillic horizon and are clayey-skeletal. In addition, Lorella soils have a lithic contact at 10 to 20 inches and Eglirim soils have a lithic contact at greater than 60 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Potential native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and Thurber needlegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Oregon; MLRA 21. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Reno, Nevada
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, Oregon, Southern Part, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 18 inches (A and AB horizons)
Cambic Horizon: The zone from 18 to 31 inches (Bw and Bk horizons)
Secondary carbonates as filaments and coatings on bedrock at 29 to 31 inches. (Bk horizon)
NSTH 17, RECLASSIFICATION ONLY, 3/95
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. The remainder of this document has not been updated.