LOCATION MARTELLA WA

Established Series
Rev. NCD/BDG/RJS
03/2016

MARTELLA SERIES

The Martella series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed volcanic ash over glacial lake sediments. Martella soils are on lake terraces and have slopes of 0 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 635 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, isotic, frigid Andic Haploxeralfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Martella ashy silt loam, forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 2 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; loose, slightly decomposed organic litter composed of needles, leaves and twigs; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary.

Oe--2 to 6 cm: very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; loose, moderately decomposed organic litter composed of needles, leaves and twigs; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Oi, Oe horizons - 3 to 10 cm)

A--6 to 29; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; many fine pores; less than 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 25 cm thick)

E--29 to 39 cm; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; many fine pores; less than 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 cm thick)

2BE--39 to 67 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many roots; few fine pores; few thin silt flour coatings in pores; less than 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 cm thick)

2Bt--67 to 83 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure; very hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common roots; few fine pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; less than 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)

2C1--83 to 108; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive and laminated; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; few fine pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

2C2--108 to 158 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive and laminated; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; few fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 490 meters south and 440 meters east of the NW corner of sec. 22, T.30N., R.40E.; Latitude - 48 degrees, 5 minutes, 16.7 seconds North; Longitude - 117 degrees, 45 minutes, 7.6 seconds West; NAD83; USGS Quadrangle - Forest Center WA.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature - 6.7 to 8.3 degrees C
Soil moisture - soil is usually moist in all horizons but is dry in all parts between depths of 10 and 30 cm for 45 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Base saturation (by sum of cations) - estimated less than 75 percent in one or more subhorizons within 75 cm (ultic feature). Further lab data is needed to verify these estimates.

Particle-size control section*
*Clay content - 18 to 35 percent
*Rock fragments - 0 to 5 percent rounded gravel

Volcanic ash mantle**
**Thickness - 18 to 36 cm
**Estimated moist bulk density - 0.65 to 1.0 g/cc
**Volcanic glass content - 30 to 60 percent,
**Acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron - 1.0 to 2.0 percent
**15-bar water retention - 5 to 12 percent for air dried samples

Note: Some pedons have a 2E and or 2BC horizon.

A horizon:
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 1 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam, ashy fine sandy loam
Clay content - 5 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3

E horizon:
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR dry or moist
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy very fine sandy loam, ashy silt loam, ashy loam
Clay content - 4 to 18 percent
Rock Fragments - 0 to 10 percent gravel
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3

2BE horizon: (absent in some pedons)
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y dry or moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - very fine sandy loam, silt loam
Rock fragments - 0 to 6 percent gravel
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.3

2Bt horizon:
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y dry or moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - silt loam, silty clay loam
Clay content - 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 6 percent gravel
Reaction - 6.1 to 7.8

2C1, 2C2 horizons:
Hue - 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y dry or moist
Value - 5 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - very fine sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam
Clay content - 12 to 35 percent
Rock fragments - 0 to 6 percent gravel
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform - lake terraces
Elevation - 450 to 1,465 meters
Slope - 0 to 40 percent (dominant slopes are 0 to 25 percent)
Parent material - volcanic ash over glacial lake sediments
Mean annual precipitation - 450 to 850 mm
Climate - continental climate having warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters
Mean temperature in January - -2.8 degrees C
Mean temperature in July - 19.4 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature - 4.4 to 7.8 degrees C
Frost-free period - 90 to 120 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aits, Anglen, Bonner, Clayton, Elbowlake, Eloika, Hodgson, Karamin, Louploup, Newbell, Scrabblers, Stapaloop, and Waits soils and the competing Cedonia and Kewach soils. Aits, Clayton, Stapaloop and Waits soils are coarse-loamy. Aits soils are on glaciated mountains. Cedonia soils are on lake terraces and terrace breaks. Anglen and Hodgson soils are fine. Anglen soils are on glacial lake terraces and escarpments. Waits soils are on foothills and mountains. Bonner soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Eloika soils are medial over coarse- loamy. Karamin and Scrabblers soils are sandy. Louploup soils are ashy over loamy and are on till plains and mountains. Bonner, Clayton, Eloika, Hodgson, Karamin, Kewach, Scrabblers, and Stapaloop soils are on terraces. Newbell and Elbowlake soils are loamy-skeletal and are on mountain backslopes, footslopes and toeslopes.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained; very slow to rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for timber production, grazing and wildlife habitat. Some areas are cultivated for the production of alfalfa, small grains and grasses. Native overstory vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, western larch, grand fir, ponderosa pine, and western redcedar. Understory vegetation is Saskatoon serviceberry, creambush oceanspray, mountain alder, willow, common snowberry, ribes, mallow ninebark, wild rose and Oregon grape. Ground vegetation is mostly white spirea, strawberry, pippsisewa, pachystima, kinnikinnick, meadow rue, and pinegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys and some mountain areas in northcentral and northwestern Washington. MLRA 43A. Series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, 1978.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Andic soil properties - from 6 to 39 cm (A, E horizons)
Argillic horizon - from 67 to 83 cm (2Bt horizon)
Particle-size control section - from 67 to 83 cm (2Bt horizon).

Additional Information:
Some pedons have a thin (less than .5 cm) layer with high value and low chroma that are Mount Saint Helen T or W volcanic ash.

Martella soils have a frigid temperature regime and a xeric moisture regime.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.