LOCATION HAZELDELL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, mesic Xeric Palehumults
TYPICAL PEDON: Hazeldell gravelly silt loam--forest. The soil was moist when described. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi & Oa--2 to 0 inches; needles, leaves, and twigs in various stages of decomposition; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) gravelly silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; soft, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic and weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots throughout; many fine to coarse irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles; many medium and common coarse rounded ironstone nodules; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AB--3 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) gravelly silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4); weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic and weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots throughout; many fine and medium irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles; many medium and common coarse rounded ironstone nodules; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
BAt--7 to 13 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common to many fine to coarse roots throughout; many fine and medium irregular and tubular pores; common medium rounded ironstone nodules; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 28 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; very few faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common to many fine to coarse roots throughout; many fine and medium irregular and tubular pores; 5 percent cobbles and 25 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 17 inches thick)
Bt2--28 to 40 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; few to common fine to coarse roots throughout; many fine and medium irregular and tubular pores; 10 percent cobbles and 40 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
BCt--40 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, plastic and weakly smeary; common prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; very few to few fine and medium roots throughout; many fine and medium irregular and tubular pores; 20 percent cobbles and 50 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Cowlitz County, Washington; about 6 miles southeast of Castle Rock, 2,300 feet west, 1,400 feet south of the northeast corner sec. 27, T. 9 N., R. 1, W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 50 to 54 degrees F. Hazeldell soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts between depths of 4 to 12 inches for 45 to 60 consecutive days within the 3 months following the summer solstice. The solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Hue is 10YR to 5YR throughout the solum. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid. Based on 15-bar water, the particle-size control section averages 35 to 60 percent clay and is 15 to 35 percent rock fragments many highly weathered. Base saturation, by sum of cations, at 1.8 meters below the soil surface is less than 35 percent.
The A and AB horizons have value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. Texture is gravelly silt loam or gravelly loam.
The Bt horizons have value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 through 7 dry, and chroma of 3 through 6 moist or dry. Texture is gravelly clay loam, gravelly silt loam, gravelly loam or clay loam in the upper 20 inches and ranges to very gravelly clay loam and gravelly clay below.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Seaquest series. Seaquest soils lack rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hazeldell soils are on foothills at elevations of 200 to 1,800 feet. Slopes are 2 to 65 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from basalt. The climate is marine type with cool, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Average annual precipitation is 40 to 70 inches. Mean January temperature is about 38 degrees F, mean July temperature is about 65 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F. The growing season is 175 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Baumgard, Mart, Melbourne, Prather, Salkum, and Schneider soils, and the competing Olympic soils. Baumgard soils are fine-loamy and have an andic surface layer. Mart soils have a mollic epipedon. Melbourne soils have a base saturation of more than 35 percent (by sum) and less than 15 percent rock fragments in the argillic horizon. Prather soils have a base saturation (by sum) of more than 35 percent in the lower part of the argillic horizon and are mottled. Salkum soils have kaolinitic mineralogy. Schneider soils have a cambic horizon and are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, red alder, bigleaf maple, western redcedar, and western hemlock, with an understory of salal, Cascade Oregon-grape, red huckleberry, western brackenfern, western swordfern, vine maple, violet, and Oregon oxalis.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cowlitz County, Washington. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cowlitz County, Washington, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the mineral surface to 7 inches and an argillic horizon from 7 to more than 60 inches. The argillic horizon has a base saturation (by sum) of 35 percent or less below a depth of 40 inches. Characterization data are available on this soil--sample numbers S84WA- 015-011 and S84WA-015-006. This soil was previously classified as clayey, mixed, mesic Xeric Haplohumults. Classification change based on National Soil Taxonomy Handbook, Issue No. 12 which re-establishes Palehumults.
A deep phase of Hazeldale was recognized in Cowlitz County, Washington when the series was classified as a Haplohumults. This phase would now be recognized as a new series with a Xeric Haplohumults classification.