LOCATION PELEE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over pumiceous or cindery, glassy Typic Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Pelee sandy loam - forested on a 34 percent northeast slope at an elevation of 3,200 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--1-1/2 inch to 1/2 inch; leaves, needles and twigs.
Oa--1/2 inch to 0; decomposed organic material.
A1--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very fine sandy loam (volcanic ash), light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium and few coarse roots; common fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--2 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam (volcanic ash), grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; many, medium, distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) mottles on faces of peds; moderate medium platy structure parting to very fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common fine and medium irregular and common fine tubular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
2BA--7 to 10 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) very paragravelly coarse sand (volcanic ash and cinders) gray (10YR 5/1) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 40 percent pumice fragments; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
2Bw1--10 to 15 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) extremely paragravelly sand (cinders and volcanic ash) gray (10YR 8/1) dry; iron stains, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6); single grain; loose; many very fine roots; many medium and coarse irregular pores; 75 percent pumice fragments and 15 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
2Bw2--15 to 20 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) very paragravelly sand (cinders and volcanic ash), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grain; loose, many very fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 55 percent pumice fragments and 20 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
2Bw3--20 to 32 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) extremely paragravelly sand (cinders and volcanic ash), white (10YR 8/1) dry, iron stains, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) single grain; loose; many very fine roots; common medium and many coarse irregular pores; 75 percent pumice fragments and 15 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
3Bw4--32 to 42 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) paragravelly sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent pumice and 15 percent weathered scoria; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (9 to 11 inches thick)
3Bw5-42 to 52 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; common fine distinct, yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles: weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; continuous 1 to 3 inch thick lens of gravel sized pumice; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (19 to 13 inches thick)
3Bw6--52 to 64 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly loamy sand, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry: weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots; common medium and coarse irregular pores; 55 percent weathered scoria; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Skamania County, Washington; 500 feet south and 1,700 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 31, T. 9 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 43 degrees F. Depth to the lower boundary of the pumiceous upper part of the particle-size control section is 25 to 35 inches. Rock fragments in the control section range from 5 to 20 percent. The upper 25 to 35 inches of this soil is 60 percent or more by weight volcanic ash and pumice, the lower part is 30 to 60 perent volcanic ash. The 15-bar water content (air-dry) is 3 to 10 percent throughout.
The A horizon had value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 to 7 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry. The lower part has common to many medium distinct mottles with hue of 7.5YR or 5YR in most pedons.
The 2Bw horizon averages 40 to 80 percent pumice fragment and 5 to 20 percent andesitic pebbles. It is loamy sand to coarse sand. Iron stains on the pumice fragments have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR and value of 4 or 5 moist.
The 3Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist or dry. Fragments of soft black scoria average from 10 to 35 percent. It is sandy loam or loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Minniepeak soils and the similar Bandid and Waca soils. Bandid soils are frigid. Minniepeak soils are and Waca soils have an umbric epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pelee soils are on backslopes and ridgetops of mountains at elevations of 2,800 to 4,500 feet. Slopes are 5 to 90 percent. Pelee soils formed in stratified aerially deposited volcanic ash and pumice. Beginning at the surface of the mineral soil, the stratigraphy of pyroclastic material from Mt. St. Helens in a Pelee soils profiles is: (1) fresh ash and pumice including the 176-year-old "Layer T," (2) pumice of the 400-year-old "Layer W" and (3) ash, pumice and scoria of the 2,500-year-old "B set." The climate is characterized by cool, moist summers and cold, wet winters. Mean annual precipitation is 130 to 140 inches including snow cover from November to June. Average January temperature is 24 degrees F, average July temperature is 58 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 38 to 40 degrees F. The frost-free season is 75 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Shoestring, Sinnice, and the competing Minniepeak and Bandid soils. Shoestring soils are medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal and have a spodic horizon. Sinnice soils are ashy over pumiceous or cindery.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability to 32 inches and rapid below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation includes Douglas-fir, Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar with an understory of vine maple, willow, huckleberry, western brackenfern and pearly everlasting.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Skamania County, Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skamania County, Washington, 1981.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data available for sample number S81WA-059-005, NSSL, Lincoln, NE for Skamania County. WA.
REMARKS:
Classification change 6/98 based on 1998 Keys to Taxonomy
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Andic properties - from mineral soil surface to 60 inches
Ochric epipedon
Particle-size control section - from mineral soil surface to 40 inches, 0 to 7 inches - ashy; 7 to 10 inches - ashy pumiceous; 32 to 40 inches - ashy.
The particle-size class is based on the contrasting ashy-pumiceous layer (A1 and A2 horizons) over pumniceous layer (2Bw1) separated by a transitional ashy-pumiceous (2BA horizon) layer less than 5 inches thick.