LOCATION RAGNAR WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, isotic over mixed, mesic Vitrandic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ragnar fine sandy loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; black (10YR 2/1) partially decomposed leaves and twigs; many roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
A--1 to 5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many roots; many very fine pores; NaF pH 10.5; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bs--5 to 18 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many roots; many very fine pores; NaF pH 11.5; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
2BC--18 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common roots; many very fine pores; NaF pH 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
2C--28 to 41 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loamy sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/3) dry; massive; loose; few roots; many very fine pores; NaF pH 10.0; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: King County, Washington; 330 feet north, 230 feet east of center of section 3, T.21N., R.5E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches for 60 to 80 consecutive days in most years. The upper part of the 10 to 40 inch control section contains 2 to 10 percent clay. The lower part of the control section is loamy sand or sand. Depth to the 2C horizon ranges from 20 to 35 inches. Rock fragments in the control section range from 0 to 15 percent by volume. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 moist or dry.
The Bs horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 4 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist or dry. It contains 0 to 5 percent iron concretions.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 3 through 7 moist, 4 through 7 dry, and chroma of 1 through 4 moist or dry. It is loamy sand, sand, or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Birchbay, Lystair, and Winston series. Birchbay and Winston soils are sandy-skeletal in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Lystair soils are mottled in the C horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on esker and kame like relief along the edges of major valleys at elevations of 300 to 1,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 70 percent. The soils formed in glacial outwash. They have cool, dry summers and mild, wet winters. The average annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 65 inches, most of which falls between October and April. Some snow falls in winter. The average January temperature is about 38 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 66 degree F.; and the frost free season ranges from 150 to 212 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alderwood, Everett, Harstine, Indianola, and Kitsap soils. Alderwood and Harstine soils have dense glacial till at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Everett soils average more than 35 percent rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inch control section. Indianola soils have a sandy control section. Kitsap soils are a fine-silty.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to slow runoff; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the Ragnar soils are used for growing timber. They are used to a small extent for growing hay, pasture, early berries and truck crops. Many areas are used for homesites. The dominant overstory is Douglas-fir, Pacific madrone. western hemlock, red alder, and western redcedar with an understory of salal, Oregon-grape, huckleberry, western brackenfern, western swordfern, trailing blackberry, and evergreen huckleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington. This series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: King County, Washington, 1943.
REMARKS: Classification updated 3/94 and 1/00 because of amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Estimate that the 0 to 17 inch zone has >5.0 percent volcanic glass and >0.4 percent by ammonium-oxalate extract. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from 1 to 5 inches, a cambic horizon from 5 to 18 inches, and a lithologic change at 18 inches from coarse-loamy to sandy soil material.
Depths to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the to of the first mineral horizon.