LOCATION LOUIECREEK WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Louiecreek gravelly ashy loam - on a 47 percent southwest -facing slope under a ponderosa pine canopy at an elevation of 2,760 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed needles, twigs, leaves.
A--1 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly ashy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots, few medium roots; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
2Bw1--14 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots, common fine and medium roots; 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary.
2Bw2--21 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine, common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; 40 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bw horizon is 14 to 30 inches)
2C--33 to 61 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; few coarse roots; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Colville Indian Reservation; Okanogan County, Washington; about 12 miles north of the town of Nespelem; 800 feet north, 250 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 29, T. 33 N., R. 31 E., W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 47 to 50 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts between a depth of 8 and 24 inches for 75 to 90 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The solum is 20 to 40 inches thick. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 15 inches thick. The upper 7 to 14 inches has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.15 to 1.45 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 20 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.4 to 1.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples. The particle-size control section is 35 to 50 percent rock fragments and 8 to 15 percent clay by weighted average. Reaction is neutral or slightly acid throughout. Base saturation (sum of cations) is 75 to 100 percent except the upper part of the A horizon which is 50 to 75 percent.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is 15 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
The 2Bw horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. When moist value is 3, chroma is 4. It is loam or sandy loam and is gravelly, very gravelly, or very cobbly. It is 25 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 30 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones.
The 2C horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It is loam or sandy loam and is very gravelly, extremely gravelly, or extremely cobbly. It is 40 to 60 percent gravel, 5 to 40 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Emily, Lenz, Raisio, Schalow (T), Speigle, and Vanbrundt series. Emily soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and have a mollic epipedon 20 to 36 inches thick. Lenz, Raisio, and Vanbrundt soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Schalow soils are dry for 90 to 105 days and are dominated by rock fragments of metasedimentary origin. Speigle soils have base saturation of less than 75 percent (sum) in one or more horizons between 10 and 30 inches. Similar soils that are classified as Ultic Haploxerolls and may have ash influence are the Bald, Briedwell, Burnscreek, Fivelakes, Huston (T), Lyville(T), Mowako, Northstar, Rockford, Spokel, Suta (T), and Wynhoff soils. Bald soils have hue of 7.5 YR and 5YR in the subsoil and have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Briedwell, Mowako, and Rockford soils have more than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Burnscreek soils have sandy loam textures throughout the series control section and are dominated by rounded rock fragments of alluvial origin. Fivelakes soils have sandy-skeletal material at depths of 20 to 36 inches and are dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days. Huston soils have redoximorphic features at a depth of 25 inches. Lyville, McCrosket, and Suta soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 40 to 60 inches. Spokel soils are dry for 45 to 65 consecutive days. Wynoff and Northstar soils have a lithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. A similar soil that is classified as superactive, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls and may be isotic is the Whitestone series. Whitestone soils have less than 8 percent clay in the particle-size control section and are dominated by rock fragments of granitic origin.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Louiecreek soils are on backslopes, footslopes, and toeslopes of mountains. These soils formed in colluvium from rhyodacite and quartz latite with a component of loess and volcanic ash in the upper part. In glaciated areas these soils also contains a small component of glacial till. Slopes are 3 to 65 percent and are primarily south, west, or east facing. Elevations range from 1,600 to 3,800 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 15 to 20 inches. The mean January temperature is about 24 degrees F, the mean July temperature is about 67 degrees F, and the mean annual air temperature is about 47 degrees F. The frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Baldknob,
Donavan,
Inkler,
Johntom (T),
Republic,
Scoap and
Thout and the competing
Northstar (T) soils. Baldknob and Johntom soils are 10 to 20 inches to a lithic contact. Donavan and
Republic soils are coarse-loamy. Inkler soils lack a mollic epipedon. Scoap soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick. Thout soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact and lack a mollic epipedon. In addition, Baldknob, Inkler, Republic, Scoap,
and Thout, soils are frigid.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability; slow to very rapid runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watersheds are the principal uses. The potential native vegetation is ponderosa pine and occasional scattered Douglas-fir with an understory of common snowberry, woods rose, white spiraea, Saskatoon serviceberry, pinegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue and silky lupine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral Washington; MLRA 43 and 44. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Colville Indian Reservation; Okanogan and Ferry Counties, Washington, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 1 to 14 inches
Cambic horizon - the zone from 14 to 33 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 11 to 41 inches with a weighted average of 42 percent rock fragments.
This soil was previously called Speigle in the Mt. Tolman Soil Survey. Laboratory data is available on this soil in the Mt. Tolman soil survey report.
Classification was revised 04/99 from loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls to loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls
Classification was revised 10/01 from loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls to loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls.
Louiecreek is similar to the Speigle series and requires further investigation. Louiecreek soils, based on current taxonomy and base saturation would classify as Typic rather than Ultic.