LOCATION ARISTINE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic Oxyaquic Duricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Aristine very gravelly medial loam - forestland, on a 48 percent north-facing slope at an elevation of 2,670 feet in a Pacific silver fir/Alaska huckleberry plant association. (When described on July 11, 1990 the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A--1 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) very gravelly medial loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine granular and weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bwl--10 to 16 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) very gravelly medial loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--16 to 23 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--23 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular and tubular pores; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 15 to 30 inches)
2Bsm--29 to 38 inches; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; massive; strongly cemented; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2Cd--38 to 61 inches; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) dense very gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6). (several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Mason County, Washington, about 4 miles southwest of Elk Lake, about 2,245 feet east and 1,885 feet south of the northwest corner of section 33, T. 24 N., R.4 W. (Latitude 47 degrees, 31 minutes, 52 seconds N, Longitude 123 degrees, 11 minutes, 47 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 43 degrees F. Mean summer soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. Mean winter soil temperature of 39 to 41 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry in the soil moisture control section 0 to 30 consecutive days following the summer solstice; udic moisture regime . Depth to cemented layer is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section from the mineral soil surface to the contact with the cemented layer has andic soil properties with an estimated moist bulk density of 0.50 to 0.80 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 20 to 35 percent for air dried samples, and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments by volume. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent. It has 10 to 20 percent organic matter. It has 2 to 5 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 3, 4, or 6 moist or dry. It is very gravelly medial loam, very cobbly medial loam, or very gravelly medial sandy loam.
The 2Bsm horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 6 moist and 2 through 4, or 6 dry. Organic matter is less than 1 percent.
The 2Cd horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 5 moist and 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 6 moist and 3, 4, or 6 dry. It is very cobbly loamy sand, very gravelly loamy sand, or extremely gravelly loamy sand. The reaction is moderately or strongly acid. It has a moist bulk density of 1.50 to 2.00 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jorsted and Litchy series. Litchy soils have a perudic moisture regime. Jorsted soils have less organic matter (non-Fulvi) and less aluminum (non-alic).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aristine soils are on glacial valleys and glaciated mountain slopes. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. The soils are formed in residuum and colluvium over dense glacial till. Elevations are 2,300 to 3,900 feet. Aristine occurs in areas of cold air drainage at elevations of 2,300 to 2,600 feet. Average annual precipitation is 70 to 150 inches. Average annual temperature is 39 to 41 degrees F. Frost-free season is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Jorsted and the Brokenfinger, Constance, Lilliwaup, Musgrove, and Stonybrook soils. Brokenfinger and Stonybrook soils are on mountain slopes and are moderately deep to bedrock. Constance soils are on mountain slopes and are shallow to bedrock. Lilliwaup and Musgrove soils are on mountain slopes and are very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderate permeability above the cemented layer and very slow permeability below. The subsoils is saturated for over 20 consecutive and 30 cumulative days from November through April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Pacific silver fir, western redcedar, red huckleberry, Alaska huckleberry, common beargrass, bunchberry dogwood, and oneleaf foamflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olympic Mountains, Mason and Jefferson Counties, Washington; MLRA 3. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mason County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon, a cambic horizon from 10 to 29 inches, andic soil properties from the mineral soil surface to 29 inches, and a cemented layer from 29 to 38 inches. The particle-size control section is from 1 to 29 inches. There is currently no provision for the correct classification of this soil in Soil Taxonomy. The series also meets the saturation requirements for Oxyaquic subgroup, the aluminum requirements for alic subgroup and the organic matter requirements for fulvi great group. All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedons S93WA-045-001 and S91WA-45-004.