LOCATION MOUNTAINEER             WA

Established Series
Rev. VB/RJE/TLA
06/2011

MOUNTAINEER SERIES

The Mountaineer series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in colluvium from schist or gneiss, mixed with volcanic ash. Mountaineer soils are on mountainsides and ridgetops with southerly aspects and have slopes of 30 to 90 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 55 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 42 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Humixerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Mountaineer stony ashy sandy loam - under a scattered conifer canopy on a 55 percent convex south-facing backslope at an elevation of 3,250 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)

A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) stony ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 10 percent schist paragravel, 5 percent stones on surface; moderately acid (pH 5.7); NaF pH 9.6; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)

A2--4 to 19 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones and 10 percent schist paragravel; moderately acid (pH 5.7); NaF pH 10.5; clear wavy boundary, (10 to 16 inches thick)

Bw--19 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely stony ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 15 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 30 percent stones, and 15 percent schist paragravel; moderately acid (pH 5.9); NaF pH 10.5; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

R--38 inches; fractured schist.

TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; about 8 miles southeast of Merritt in the Chiwaukum Creek drainage; 500 feet south and 1,300 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 35, T. 26 N., R. 16 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 43 to 46 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, but are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The solum thickness and depth to a lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The umbric epipedon is 12 to 20 inches thick. The particle-size control section averages 35 to 60 percent rock fragments and 0 to 20 percent schist paragravel. The solum has an estimated volcanic glass content of 5 to 20 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent. Reaction is slightly acid or moderately acid.

The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 through 5 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry or moist. It has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.85 to 0.95 g/cc.

The Bw horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It is very cobbly sandy loam, very flaggy sandy loam, or extremely stony sandy loam. It has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.10 to 1.30 g/cc.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the McElroy series. McElroy soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days and are more than 40 inches deep to bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mountaineer soils are on mountainsides and ridgetops with southerly aspects and have slopes of 30 to 90 percent. These soils formed in colluvium from schist or gneiss, mixed with volcanic ash. Many areas have been glaciated but little evidence of till is in the profile. Elevations are 1,400 to 4,800 feet. These soils are in a climate with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 40 to 75 inches. The mean January temperature is about 22 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is about 64 degrees F.; the mean annual temperature is 41 to 44 degrees F.; growing season at 28 degrees F. is about 120 to 150 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Saska and Chiwaukum soils. All of these soils are more than 40 inches deep and lack an umbric epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to very rapid runoff, moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, watershed and recreation. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, and grand fir, with an understory of pinegrass, elk sedge, lupine, creambush oceanspray, spirea, and pachystima.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in West Central Chelan County; MLRA 6. This series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, l982.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are;
umbric epipedon from 0 to 19 inches
cambic horizon from 19 to 38 inches
a lithic contact at 38 inches.
Base saturation (NH4OAC) is 31 percent in the umbric epipedon.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data is available, sample numbers 81T7615 - 7622.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.