LOCATION ALECANYON               WA

Established Series
Rev. EMM/KMS/SHB/SBC
06/2016

ALECANYON SERIES

Landscape--Columbia basalt plateau
Landform--outwash plains, outwash terraces, eskers, kames
Slope--0 to 65 percent
Parent material--sandy and gravelly glaciofluvial deposits with an influence of loess and volcanic ash in upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 330 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 9 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Alecanyon very cobbly ashy fine sandy loam in an area of rangeland, on a 5-percent, southeast-facing slope at an elevation of 740 m (All textures are apparent field textures.)

A--0 to 30 cm; very cobbly ashy fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent sand-sized pumice fragments 0.5 to 2.0 mm in diameter; 25 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt smooth boundary

2AB--30 to 56 cm; extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 5 percent sand-sized pumice fragments 0.5 to 2.0 mm in diameter; 35 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary

2Bq1--56 to 79 cm; extremely cobbly loamy coarse sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many fine and medium interstitial pores; common distinct coatings of silica that are very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry and on underside of gravel and cobbles; 35 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary

2Bq2--79 to 150 cm; extremely cobbly coarse sand, multicolored; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine interstitial pores; common distinct and prominent coatings of silica that are very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry and on undersides of gravel and cobbles; 40 percent gravel and 35 percent cobbles: neutral (pH 7.2)

TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington, about 13 km west and 6 km north of the town of Grand Coulee; about 880 m north and 120 m west of the southeast corner of section 10, T. 29 N., R. 29 E.; latitude 48.0273284, longitude -119.1494054, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--9 to 11 degrees C
Moisture control section--dry 90 to 105 days after summer solstice
Depth to sandy-skeletal material--25 to 50 cm
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 50 cm
Content of clay in particle-size control section--1 to 8 percent
Content of rock fragments in particle-size control section--45 to 75 percent
Percentage of surface covered with stones--0 to 3 percent
Thickness of volcanic ash influence--25 to 50 cm

Estimated properties of layers influenced by volcanic ash
*Content of volcanic glass in 0.02- to 2-mm fraction--5 to 50 percent, including 0 to 15 percent sand-sized pumice fragments 0.5 to 2.0 mm in diameter
*Acid oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--0.15 to 0.4 percent
*Moist bulk density--1.15 to 1.35 g/cm3
*15-bar water retention--5 to 10 percent (air-dried samples)
*Field-estimated content of clay--0 to 15 percent
*Base saturation--less than 75 percent, by sum of cations, in one or more horizon between surface and a depth of 75 cm

A horizon
*Value--4 or 5 dry
*Chroma--2 or 3 moist
*Texture--ashy fine sandy loam, ashy sandy loam, ashy coarse sandy loam
*Content of gravel--10 to 55 percent
*Content of cobbles--5 to 50 percent
*Total content of rock fragments--15 to 60 percent
*Content of sand-sized pumice fragments less than 2 mm in diameter--0 to 15 percent
*Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
*Thickness--25 to 50 cm

A BA horizon is in some pedons.

2AB horizon
*Value--4 to 6 dry
*Texture--loamy coarse sand, coarse sand
*Content of gravel--20 to 45 percent
*Content of cobbles--15 to 40 percent
*Total content of rock fragments--35 to 65 percent
*Content of sand-sized pumice fragments less than 2 mm in diameter--0 to 10 percent
*Reaction--6.1 to 7.8
*Thickness--8 to 26 cm

A 2BC horizon is in some pedons.

2Bq horizon, and 2C horizon (where present)
*Value--5 or 6 dry
*Texture--loamy coarse sand, coarse sand
*Content of gravel--25 to 75 percent
*Content of cobbles--5 to 55 percent
*Content of stones--0 to 25 percent
*Content of boulders--0 to 10 percent
*Total content of rock fragments--45 to 85 percent
*Coatings of silica--few to many, distinct or prominent
*Calcium carbonate equivalent--0 to 3 percent
*Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
*Combined thickness of 2Bq horizon--50 to 100 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
Leiko, Owhi--no silica coatings in subsoil
Sequim--dry 75 to 90 days; west of Cascade Mountains

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--300 to 950 m
Climate--warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--310 to 460 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 21 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 10 degrees C
Frost-free season--110 to 165 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Cachebutte--on glacial outwash plains; moderately deep to glacial outwash
Cheney--coarse-loamy over sandy-skeletal
Nemire--in drainageways; nonskeletal
Uhlig--coarse-loamy throughout

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high above glacial outwash; very high through glacial outwash

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing, crop production
Principle crops--winter wheat, barley
Potential natural vegetation--bluebunch wheatgrass, Idaho fescue, Thurber needlegrass, fleabane, buckwheat, threetip sagebrush, Wyoming big sagebrush

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Douglas and Spokane Counties, Washington; MLRAs 8 and 9; small extent

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington; 1998

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from surface to a depth of 30 cm; mollic color from 30 to 79 cm; less than 0.6 percent organic carbon
*Vitrandic feature--zone from surface to a depth of 30 cm
*Ultic feature--one horizon within zone from 25 to 76 cm has estimated base saturation (sum) of less than 75 percent
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 100 cm; 25 to 30 cm loamy-skeletal (more than 50 percent fine sand or coarser material) and 30 to 100 cm sandy-skeletal
*Content of rock fragments (weighted average)--71 percent

6/2016--This OSD was updated as part of the final correlation of the Spokane County, Washington, soil survey. The formatting was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015).

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Partial laboratory data--Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory pedon number 90P0346, sample number S90WA-017-005, Lincoln, Nebraska

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.