LOCATION STEEVER                 WA

Established Series
Rev. EH/TA/RHE
01/2011

STEEVER SERIES


The Steever series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in landslide material from basalt, andesite and conglomerate. Steever soils are on mountain slopes of 2 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 75 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Humudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Steever stony clay loam-forested. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slighty decomposed plant material.

A--1 to 6 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) stony clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 15 percent gravel, 15 percent stones; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

AB--6 to 13 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine granular and weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)

Bw1--13 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; common fine and medium irregular pores; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 25 inches thick)

Bw2--21 to 31 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine and few coarse roots; common fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel and 20 percent paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 11 inches thick)

C--31 to 61 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 40 percent paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2).

TYPE LOCATION: Skamania County, Washington; about 2 miles West of Stevenson; 1,500 feet east and 2,000 feet south of northwest corner section 3, T. 2N, R. 7E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to degrees 53 F. Depth to bedrock is 60 inches or more. The particle-size control section contains 18 to 35 percent clay. The umbric epipedon is 10 to 13 inches thick. Rock fragments in the particle-size control section averages 35 to 60 percent and paragravel averages 5 to 30 percent. It is strongly acid to moderately acid throughout.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is very gravelly clay loam, very gravelly loam or very gravelly silt loam.

The C horizon has colors and textures like the B horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brightwood, Guyandotte, Harrington, Klickitat, Milbury, Nordby, Skoly, Spivey, Summers and Wauld series. Brightwood, Harrington, Summers, and Wauld soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Guyandotte soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Klickitat and Skoly soils have a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR. Milbury soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Nordby soils are extremely gravelly sand or loamy sand below a depth of 20 to 32 inches and are very strongly acid or extremely acid below the A horizon. Spivey soils have less than 18 percent clay in the particle- size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Steever soils are on toe slopes and backslopes of old landslide areas, at elevations of 50 to 1,500 feet. The relief in general is hummocky. The soils formed in colluvial landslide material from basalt, andesite and conglomerate. Slopes are 2 to 65 percent. Summers are warm and dry and winters are cool and wet. The mean annual precipitation is 70 to 85 inches. Mean January temperature is about 28 degrees F. Mean July temperature is about 66 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free season is 100 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aschoff, Olyic, Skamania, Stevenson and the competing Skoly soils. Aschoff soils are have andic soil properties in the surface and isotic mineralogy. Olyic and Stevenson soils are fine-loamy. Skamania soils are coarse-loamy.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed, wildlife habitat, recreation and some homesites. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, red alder, grand fir, bigleaf maple with an understory of vine maple, western hazel, western brackenfern, Oregongrape, thimbleberry, western swordfern, red huckleberry, trailing blackberry, creambush oceanspray, Pacific dogwood, common snowberry, dwarf rose, longtube twinflower, deerfoot vanillaleaf, and insideout flower.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Skamania County, Washington. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skamania County, Washington, 1979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an umbric epipedon from the mineral surface to 12 inches and a cambic horizon from 12 to 30 inches.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.