LOCATION FIROKE WA
Established Series
Rev. MEH/RJE/RWL
09/2019
FIROKE SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain slopes
Slope--5 to 40 cm
Parent material--residuum and colluvium derived from basalt mixed with volcanic ash
Mean annual precipitation--about 1100 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, amorphic, frigid Humic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Firoke ashy fine sandy loam, forested, on a 12-percent, southwest-facing backslope at an elevation of 950 m (All textures are apparent field textures.)
A--0 to 15 cm; ashy fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist and crushed; weak very fine granular structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and common coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 12 percent igneous gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary
AB--15 to 48 cm; gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and common coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary
Bw1--48 to 71 cm; very cobbly ashy sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and few coarse roots; many very fine interstitial pores and common fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary
Bw2--71 to 86 cm; extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 40 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary
Bw3--86 to 112 cm; extremely stony ashy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 30 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary
Bw4--112 to 150 cm; extremely gravelly ashy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones from ejecta; slightly acid (pH 6.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Klickitat County, Washington, about 9 km east of Trout Lake; about 240 m north and 760 m east of the southwest corner of section 15, T. 6 N., R. 11 E.; latitude 46.002743, longitude -121.417397, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--usually moist, but dry in all parts 60 to 75 consecutive days
Umbric epipedon--25 to 50 cm thick; base saturation (NH4OAC) of 15 to 30 percent
Rock fragments in particle-size control section--35 to 45 percent, by weighted average; 20 to 35 percent in upper part
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5
Percentage of surface covered with stones--0.01 to 0.10 percent
Andic soil properties in particle-size control section
*Estimated moist bulk density--0.60 to 0.90 g/cm3
*Volcanic glass content--30 to 60 percent
*Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half iron--2 to 3 percent
*Phosphorus retention--85 to 98 percent
A horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry
Chroma--3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Thickness--15 to 25 cm
AB horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Texture--ashy loam, ashy sandy loam, fine sandy loam
Thickness--10 to 25 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loam
Rock fragment content--20 to 35 percent in upper part, 55 to 75 percent in lower part
Combined thickness--100 cm or more
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--610 to 1275 m
Climate--cool, dry summers, cold, wet winters; snow cover in December through April
Mean annual precipitation--1000 to 1400 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -5 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 17 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--about 4 to 7 degrees C
Frost-free season--70 to 95 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Guler--on footslopes; mesic soil temperature regime
Kingtain--argillic horizon; on mountainsides
McCumber--on mountainsides; loamy-skeletal particle-size class
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--mainly timber production, livestock grazing, and wildlife habitat
Native vegetation--mainly Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, grand fir, and Oregon white oak with an understory of western hazel, prince's pine, pinegrass, elk sedge, arrowleaf balsamroot, common snowberry, Pacific dogwood, Oregon grape, and creambush oceanspray
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Klickitat and Yakima Counties, Washington; MLRA 6; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Klickitat County, Washington; 2003
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Umbric epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 48 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 48 to 150 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from the surface to a depth of 150 cm
*Ashy particle-size class--zone from the surface to a depth of 48 cm
*Ashy-skeletal particle-size class--zone from 48 to 150 cm
9/1993--Classification changed from medial-skeletal, frigid Andic Xerumbrepts to ashy-skeletal, amorphic, frigid Humic Vitrixerands.
Further investigation of the Firoke and Tumac series is needed. The concept of the Firoke series recognizes amorphic mineralogy and a volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent. The Firoke series is correlated to the ponderosa pine-Oregon white oak plant association. The concept of the Tumac series recognizes mixed mineralogy and a volcanic glass content of 5 to 30 percent. The Tumac series is correlated to the grand fir-Douglas-fir plant association.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--National Soil Survey Laboratory pedon number 87P0059
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.