LOCATION PURPLE WA
Established Series
Rev. PHR/JGM/KMS
01/2017
PURPLE SERIES
Landscape--western Cascade Mountains, valleys
Landform--depressions, flood plains, drainageways of cirque floors, flood plains of U-shaped valleys
Slope--0 to 15 percent
Parent material--herbaceous and woody organic deposits over alluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 2100 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 4 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--poorly drained, very poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, isotic, acid Histic Cryaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Purple mucky loam on a north-facing, 2-percent slope of a forested flood plain at an elevation of 1200 m (When described on July 22, 2009, the soil was wet throughout.)
Oa--0 to 25 cm; muck; common very fine and fine roots; gradual wavy boundary
A1--25 to 45 cm; mucky loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 15 percent distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary
A2--45 to 58 cm; mucky loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; massive; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 15 percent distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary
Cg1--58 to 96 cm; sandy loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 25 percent distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses and 25 percent distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary
Cg2--96 to 150 cm; loamy sand, gray (10YR 6/1) dry, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; massive; moderately hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 25 percent distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron-manganese masses and 25 percent distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid (pH 5.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington, approximately 30 km north of the town of Newhalem, in Perry Creek Valley, in the North Cascades National Park Complex; 350 m west and 780 m north of the southeast corner of section 24, T. 40 N., R. 12 E.; Mount Spickard, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle; latitude 48.9371153, longitude -121.1774434, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--4 to 7 degrees C
Moisture control section--seasonal high water table to soil surface more than 30 consecutive days
Reaction--4.5 to 5.5 throughout all mineral horizons
The particle-size control section in this soil is contrasting. Most characteristics are given by horizon.
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--0 to 15 percent throughout
*Fragment content, coarse-loamy portion--0 to 20 percent total, 0 to 15 percent fine to coarse gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles
*Fragment content, sandy or sandy-skeletal portion--0 to 60 percent total, 0 to 30 percent fine to coarse gravel, 0 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones
Oa horizon
*Thickness--20 to 35 cm
A horizon
*Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
*Value--2 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
*Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--mucky loam, mucky sandy loam, mucky fine sandy loam
*Clay content--5 to 18 percent
*Sand content--35 to 70 percent
*Total fragment content--0 to 20 percent
*Gravel content--0 to 15 percent
*Cobble content--0 to 5 percent
*Thickness--20 to 60 cm
Cg horizon
*Hue--10YR, 2.5Y
*Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
*Chroma--1 to 3 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--sandy loam, loamy sand, sand
*Clay content--0 to 15 percent
*Sand content--55 to 90 percent
*Total fragment content--0 to 60 percent
*Gravel content--0 to 30 percent
*Cobble content--0 to 25 percent
*Stone content--0 to 10 percent
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--500 to 2100 m
Climate--cool, dry summers; cold, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1200 to 2900 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0.5 to 7.0 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bacon--ochric epipedon
Beaverpass--very poorly drained; organic soil material to a depth of 91 cm; sandy-skeletal
Forbidden--well drained; ochric epipedon; sandy-skeletal; andic soil properties in upper 25 cm
Yawning--well drained; ochric epipedon; loamy-skeletal; andic soil properties in upper 25 cm
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained, very poorly drained
Saturation during normal years--endosaturation to soil surface in November through May, below 25 cm in June through October
Flooding--occasional, brief periods in April through June and October through December
Ponding--frequent, very long periods in December through April; frequent, brief periods in May, June, October, and November
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--high, very high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation, watershed drainage
Potential natural vegetation--Engelmann spruce, Alaskan cedar, five-leaved bramble, false azalea, black huckleberry, ladyfern, Sitka mountain-ash, redosier dogwood, sedges, grasses
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Cascades Mountains, Washington; MLRA 3; small extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: North Cascades National Park Complex, Chelan County, Washington; 2011
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 50 to 125 cm
*Reaction-class control section--zone from 50 to 75 cm
*Histic epipedon--zone from 0 to 25 cm
*Redoximorphic concentrations--zone from 25 to 150 cm
*Redoximorphic depletions with chroma of 2 or less--zone from 58 to 150 cm
ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location user site ID--09-PHR-037
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.