LOCATION SPEIGLE                 WA

Established Series
Rev. NCD/RWL/RJS
10/2016

SPEIGLE SERIES

The Speigle series consists of very deep, well drained soils on basalt plateaus, canyons, and mountain side slopes. They formed in colluvium weathered from basalt mixed with loess and volcanic ash in the upper part. Slopes are 5 to 80 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 22 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Speigle cobbly ashy loam, on a 42 percent southeast facing, convex slope at an elevation of 2,340 feet in a ponderosa pine forest. When described on April 1, 1999, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures)

A-- 0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) cobbly ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent angular basalt gravel and 15 percent subangular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)

AB-- 6 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 35 percent angular basalt gravel and 5 percent angular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)

Bt1-- 17 to 23 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay films on all faces of peds; 25 percent angular basalt gravel and 25 percent angular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 6.9); clear wavy boundary.

Bt2-- 23 to 35 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular, and few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent faint clay films on all faces of peds; 40 percent angular basalt gravel and 20 percent angular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 15 to 25 inches thick).

BC-- 35 to 44 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) extremely cobbly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular, and few very fine tubular pores; 30 percent angular basalt gravel and 40 percent angular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

C-- 44 to 65 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely cobbly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular, and common medium interstitial pores; 30 percent angular basalt gravel and 55 percent angular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Spokane County, Washington; About 2,020 feet east and 2,000 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 32, Township 26N, Range 44E; USGS Spokane NE, WA, topographic quadrangle; Latitude 47 degrees, 42 minutes, 31.2 seconds N. and Longitude 117 degrees, 16 minutes, 28.8 seconds W. NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the top of the first mineral layer.

Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 52 degrees F.
Moisture control section - dry 60 to 90 days after the summer solstice, July to September, moist October through June
Thickness of mollic epipedon - 10 to 20 inches
Field estimated clay content - 10 to 20 percent in the particle-size control section
Coarse fragments - 35 to 80 percent in particle size control section
Volcanic ash influence - 10 to 20 inches
Estimated properties of the volcanic ash influenced layers:
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction - 5 to 20 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe - 0.4 to 1.0 percent
Moist bulk density - 1.15 to 1.35 g/cc
15 bar water retention - 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples
Base Saturation - less than 75 percent (by sum of cations) in one or more horizon between 10 and 30 inches (estimated)

O horizon present in some pedons

A and AB horizons
Value - 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy loam or ashy silt loam
Clay content - 10 to 15 percent
Gravel content - 5 to 35 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 30 percent
Stone content - 0 to 15 percent

Bt or Bw horizon
Value - 5 to7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam, silt loam, or sandy loam
Clay content - 10 to 20 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 45 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 25 percent
Stone content - 0 to 15 percent
Total rock fragment content - 35 to 70 percent

C horizon (and BC horizon when present)
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam, sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content - 10 to 15 percent
Gravel content- 20 to 50 percent
Cobble content - 20 to 60 percent
Stones - 0 to 15 percent
Total rock fragment content - 40 to 85 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Borgeau, Emily, Garrison, Opportunity, Lenz, Louiecreek, Raisio, Sinlahekin, Vanbrunt, and Whitestone soils. The Borgeau soils have 2.5Y colors in the Bw horizons and formed in glacial till and colluvium from metamorphic rock. Emily soils have 25 to 35 percent clay in the B horizons. Lenz, Raisio and Vanbrunt soils have a lithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. Garrison and Opportunity soils contain glaciofluvial outwash and have sandy-skeletal subsoil at 24 to 36 inches and 36 to 60 inches respectively. Louiecreek soils are formed in quartz dacite and rhyodacite, do not have an ultic feature and have a base saturation (sum of cations) of 75 to 100 percent except the upper part of the A horizon which is 50 to 75 percent. Whitestone soils have granitic rock fragments and have a high content of quartz and feldspar minerals in the particle-size control section. Sinlahekin soils contain carbonates and range to coarse sandy loam and fine sand in the lower part of the particle size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Speigle soils on basalt plateaus, canyons, and mountain sides with 5 to 80 percent slopes. Elevations range from 1,400 to 2,700 feet. They formed in colluvium and residuum weathered from basalt mixed with loess and volcanic ash in the upper part. They occur in a climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 52 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 25 inches. The frost-free period is 90 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calouse, Ewall, Klickson, Spokane, Tronson, and Tucannon soils. Calouse soils are calcareous at a depth of about 28 inches and lack rock fragments. Ewall soils are coarse textured. Hesseltine and Tronson soils have argillic horizons. Klickson soils are frigid and are on canyons and mountain side slopes. Spokane soils are underlain by weathered granite at a depth of 28 inches and are on mountain and foothill side slopes.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Potential natural vegetation is ponderosa pine and occasional scattered Douglas-fir with an understory of common snowberry, woods rose, white spiraea, Saskatoon serviceberry, pinegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, wild strawberry, kinnikinnick, and silky lupine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington; MLRA 43A and 44A. Speigle soils are of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington; 1963.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 17 inches (the A and AB horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 17 to 35 inches (the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the AB, the Bt, Bt2, and part of the BC horizons)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 0 to 17 inches (the A and AB horizon)

The type location for Speigle has been moved to better reflect a modal site after revisiting the original type location in Spokane County.
This pedon does not meet the criteria for an argillic horizon based on no increase in clay from the A horizon to the Bt1 horizon.

The description 09/01 reflects a change in classification due to revisions in soil taxonomy from loamy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls to loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls.
Series revision 02/04 to remove discontinuity in Bt, BC, and C horizons based on highly mixed ash influence and lack of an ash mantle.

Louiecreek soils formed in 'rhyodacite and quartz latite' and there is a statement in the Louiecreek OSD that Speigle was previously mapped in the Mt. Tolman Soil Survey, and Louiecreek was written to replace it. These series seem very similar and whether or not they can be realistically separated will require further investigation. In the event they are combined, Speigle covers a greater extent and it would be preferable to maintain it instead of Louiecreek.

This series is correlated to the PIPO/SYAL habitat type.

Speigle soils should be further investigated to determine typical mineralogy (isotic vs. mixed).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.