LOCATION NARGAR WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Andic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Nargar fine sandy loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
01--1 to 1/2 inch; needles, leaves and twigs.
02--1/2 inch to 0; black (10YR 2/1) decomposed litter.
E--0 to 1 inch; gray (5YR 5/1) very fine sandy loam, light gray (5YR 7/1) dry; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine vesicular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Bs1--1 to 8 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) stains on 20 percent of faces of peds; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine vesicular pores; 10 percent shot 2mm to 5mm in size; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bs2--8 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and medium few coarse roots; few very fine vesicular pores; 5 percent shot 2mm to 5mm in size; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Bs3--15 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; few very fine vesicular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2C1--26 to 41 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) fine sand, olive (5Y 5/3) dry; single grain; loose; few very fine, fine and medium roots; 30 percent weakly cemented fine sand nodules 2 to 3cm in size; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C2--41 to 47 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, pale olive (5Y 6/3) dry; single grain; loose; few very fine and fine roots; 50 percent fine rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2C3--47 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) very gravelly loamy coarse sand, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; single grain; loose; 50 percent fine rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Snohomish County, Washington; 1,000 feet west and 2,600 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 2, T. 32 N., R. 7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 15 to 40 inches. These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice. Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is 47 to 52 degrees F. The solum averages 0 to 15 percent rock fragments by volume. Some pedons have A horizons.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. It is slightly acid through strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 8 moist or dry. It is loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam. The reaction is slightly acid through strongly acid. Some pedons have a BC horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR, 5Y, or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 1 through 4 moist or dry. It is stratified with layers ranging from loamy sand to fine and coarse sand. Coarse fragment average 0 to 35 percent in the control section and average 0 to 60 percent below. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lynden series and the similar Lynnwood and Tromp series. Lynden soils are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days. Lynnwood soils are sandy throughout. Tromp soils have mottles below the spodic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nargar soils are on terraces and terrace escarpments at elevations from 50 to 1,200 feet. Slope is 0 to 90 percent. The soils formed in glacial outwash and alluvium with a mantle of volcanic ash. Average annual precipitation is 50 to 75 inches. The mean January temperature is 33 degrees F, mean July temperature is 59 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 46 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Pastik, Tokul, and Winston soils. Pastik soils lack contrasting sandy or sandy-skeletal material at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Tokul soils have an ortstein layer at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Winston soils have more than 35 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Native vegetation is Douglas- fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, and red alder, with an undergrowth of salal, Oregon-grape, western swordfern, lady fern, red huckleberry, vine maple, deer fern, salmonberry, western brackenfern, and trailing blackberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest Washington along west slopes of the Cascade Mountains. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Snohomish County, Washington, l979.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 1 inch, a spodic horizon from 1 to 26 inches, and a lithologic change from ashy to sandy material at 26 inches.