LOCATION NOCA WA

Established Series
Rev. CAB/SBC
06/2011

NOCA SERIES

The Noca series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in volcanic ash and reworked glacial drift on debris aprons, valley walls, and Pleistocene moraines. Slopes are 0 to 25 percent on debris aprons and Pleistocene moraines, and 25 to 65 percent on valley walls. The mean annual precipitation is about 1,800 millimeters. The mean annual temperature is about 4 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Spodic Vitricryands

TYPICAL PEDON: Noca gravelly ashy sandy loam, on a valley wall landform with a NW facing slope of 60 percent at 1670 meters elevation under coniferous forest vegetation. When described on September 18, 2007 the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oe--0 to 2 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; common very fine and very coarse and few medium roots throughout; abrupt wavy boundary.

E--2 to 5 cm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) gravelly ashy sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; 5 percent fine gravel, 5 percent medium to coarse gravel, and 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt irregular boundary.

Bw1--5 to 29 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) stony ashy sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine and many medium, coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; 5 percent fine gravel, 10 percent medium and coarse gravel, 5 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--29 to 51 cm; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly ashy sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and fine, many medium and coarse, and few very coarse roots throughout; 5 percent fine gravel, 20 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.7); abrupt wavy boundary.

2BC--51 to 77 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) very gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine, fine, medium, coarse, and very coarse roots; 5 percent fine gravel, 35 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary.

2C--77 to 150 cm; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) extremely gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; 10 percent fine gravel, 40 percent medium and coarse gravel, and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.1).

TYPE LOCATION: North Cascades National Park, Chelan County, Washington; 410 meters east and 442 meters north of SW corner of Section 24, T34N, R17E Willamette Meridian; McAlester Mountain, Washington USGS quadrangle; 48 degrees 25 minutes 46 seconds north latitude, 120 degrees 40 minutes 58 seconds west longitude; NAD83; UTM 671407 meters E, 5366631 meters N, zone 10N.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 4 to 8 degrees C. Cryic soil temperature regime.
Soil moisture control section: dry for less than 30 consecutive days from June to October. Udic soil moisture regime.
Thickness of volcanic ash mantle: 40 to 70 centimeters
The particle-size control section in this soil is contrasting. Most characteristics are listed by horizon.

E horizon:
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Chroma - 1 or 2 moist or dry
Fine earth texture - FSL, SL, or COSL
Rock fragments - 0 to 30 percent total
0 to 20 percent gravel
0 to 10 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent stones
Clay content - 2 to 8 percent
Volcanic glass - 15 to 50 percent
Reaction - extremely acid to strongly acid
Thickness - 2 to 8 centimeters

Bw horizons:
Hue - 10 YR or 7.5YR
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 4 or 6 moist or dry
Fine earth texture - FSL, COSL, or SL
Rock fragments - 5 to 35 percent total
5 to 35 percent gravel
0 to 20 percent cobbles
0 to 10 percent stones
Clay content - 3 to 8 percent
Volcanic glass - 15 to 50 percent
Reaction - strongly acid to moderately acid
Thickness - 35 to 70 centimeters

2BC horizon:
Hue -10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 5 moist or dry
Fine earth texture - LS or LCOS
Rock fragments - 35 to 75 percent total
25 to 65 percent gravel
10 to 20 percent cobbles
0 to 5 percent stones
Clay content - 1 to 6 percent
Volcanic glass - 0 to 15 percent
Reaction - strongly acid to slightly acid
Thickness - 10 to 30 centimeters

2C horizon:
Hue -2.5Y or variegated
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist or dry
Fine earth texture - LS or LCOS
Rock fragments - 40 to 85 percent total
20 to 65 percent gravel
10 to 50 percent cobbles
0 to 10 percent stones
Clay content - 0 to 3 percent
Volcanic glass - 0 to 10 percent
Reaction - strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Doubtful (T), Line, and Spickard (T) series. Doubtful soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 50 to 100 cm and lack an albic horizon. Line soils have 2C horizons in the lower part of the particle-size control section that are sand or coarse sand in the fine earth fraction. Spickard soils lack an albic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Noca soils are on debris aprons, valley walls, and Pleistocene moraines at elevations of 1060 to 1930 meters. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. These soils formed in mixed volcanic ash and reworked glacial drift. The climate consists of cool, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1,800 to 3,300 millimeters, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 2 to 6 degrees C. Frost free season is 30 to 60 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chilliwack (T) and competing Spickard (T) soils. All of these soils are found on the same landforms and under very similar conditions. Chilliwack soils are Spodosols. Spickard soils lack albic horizons. Noca is a common transition soil between Chilliwack and Spickard, where time has been insufficient to form a well-developed Spodosol.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; high to very high saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for watershed, recreation, woodland, and wildlife habitat. Potential natural vegetation consists of Pacific silver fir, subalpine fir, mountain hemlock and potentially minor amounts of Douglas-fir at lower elevations, with an understory of prince's pine, pachistima, queen's cup bead lily, western rattlesnake plantain, dwarf bramble, and black huckleberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western slopes of the North Cascade Mountains, Washington. MLRA 3. Series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Cascades National Park Service Complex soil survey, 2011.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 2 to 102 centimeters (E, Bw1, Bw2, 2BC, and upper 25 centimeters of the 2C horizon)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 18 centimeters (Oe, E, and upper 13 centimeters of Bw1 horizon)
Albic horizon: 2 to 5 centimeters (E horizon)
Cambic horizon: 5 to 51 centimeters (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Andic soil properties: 2 to 51 centimeters (E, Bw1, and Bw2 horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity: 51 centimeters

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.