LOCATION GAHEE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over isotic Xeric Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Gahee ashy loam - forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1/2 inch; slightly decomposed leaves, needles, and twigs.
Oa--1/2 to 1 inch; decomposed leaves, needles, and twigs.
E--1 to 4 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) ashy very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; neutral (pH 6.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bs--4 to 20 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) ashy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots, with root mat at lower boundary; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt wavy boundary. (14 to 18 inches thick)
2C1--20 to 32 inches; white (N 8/) sandy loam, light gray (N 7/) moist; massive; slightly hard, slightly firm, slightly sticky, nonplastic; few medium roots; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
3C2--32 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very coarse sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; loose; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Ferry County, Washington; on logging spur on south side of south fork of Sherman Creek, 1/2 mile west of Barnaby Creek Road; southeast 1/4, northeast 1/4 of section 8, T. 35 N., R. 35 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 38 degrees to 40 degrees F. and mean summer temperature is less than 47 degrees F. These soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days, following summer solstice, throughout the soil moisture control section in normal years.
The E and Bs horizons contain more than 30 percent glassy pyroclastic materials. The soils are slightly acid to neutral. Content of coarse fragments ranges from none to 10 percent. The solum is 16 to 22 inches thick.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, dry value of 6 through 8, dry chroma of 1 or 2.
The Bs horizon has dry value of 6 or 7 and dry chroma of 3 or 4. It is ashy loam, ashy silt loam, or ashy very fine sandy loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR or is neutral, dry value of 7 or 8, dry chroma of 0 through 2. It is sandy loam or loamy sand in the lower part.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Almac, Helter, and Nile. Almac soils have 2Bt horizons and are dry 60 to 75 days following the summer solstice. Helter soils do not have an albic horizon, are loamy in the lower part of the particle-size control section and are dry 60 to 70 consecutive days. Nile soils do not have an albic horizon and are sandy loam throughout the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gahee soils are on outwash plains, terraces, and terrace escarpments at elevations of 4,000 to 6,500 feet. These soils formed in volcanic ash over glacial outwash. They are in a cold, subhumid climate; the mean annual temperature is about 39 degrees F., mean annual precipitation is about 35 inches, and the frost-free period is 75 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Manley soils and the Scar and Togo soils. Scar soils have a spodic horizon. Manley and Togo soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, and western larch, with an understory of Sitka alder, and longtube twinflower, black mountain huckleberry, and pachystima.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ferry County, Washington, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon, albic horizon, from the 1 to 4inches, probably fresh volcanic ash, a cambic horizon from 4to 20nches formed in older volcanic ash and a lithologic discontinuity to loamy glacial outwash at 20 inches. The upper part of this soil is believed to be ashy based on laboratory data on the Scar series.