LOCATION ASCAR OR+WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, isomesic Typic Fulvudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Ascar extremely gravelly medial loam, in a recent clearcut. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed leaves, twigs, roots and woody material.
A--2 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) extremely gravelly medial loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; many very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; about 65 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--14 to 37 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; about 50 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 27 inches thick)
R--37 inches; basalt breccia.
TYPE LOCATION: Clatsop County, Oregon; 8 miles SE of Seaside about 200 feet North of logging road in the SE1/4NW1/4NE1/4 section 15, T. 5 N., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soils are usually moist and are dry less than 45 consecutive days between 4 and 12 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 54 degrees F. The mean winter soil temperature is 43 to 50 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 48 to 55 degrees F. The difference between the mean winter and mean summer soil temperature varies from 5 to 9 degrees F. Depth to basalt bedrock is 20 to 40 inches. Hue is 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR. The umbric epipedon, when present, is 10 to 20 inches thick but some pedons have an ochric epipedon with moist chromas of 4 above 10 inches. The solum has a moist bulk density is 0.75 to 0.90 g/cc, acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron of 2 to 4 percent, phosphate retention of 90 to 100 percent and over 2 meq. of aluminum per 100 grams of soil.
The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 2 to 4 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist, 2 to 4 dry. It has 55 to 70 percent gravel, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, and apparent clay content of 10 to 20 percent. It has 10 to 15 percent organic matter. The A2 horizon, when present, has color and organic matter content similar to the A1 horizon and has 30 to 55 percent gravel, 5 to 30 percent cobbles and apparent clay content of 15 to 20 percent.
The Bw horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 3 to 6 moist and dry. It is medial loam or medial silt loam with 30 to 60 percent gravel, 10 to 40 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones. Apparent clay content is 12 to 27 percent. It has 1 to 10 percent organic matter with less than 7 percent below 20 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Grismar, Klone, Necanicum, Southshore and Traham series. Grismar and Klone soils are very deep to bedrock. Necanicum soils are 40 to over 60 inches to bedrock. Traham soils have a field estimated clay content of more than 27 percent in the cambic horizon. Southshore soils have cemented till at 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ascar soils are on side slopes of mountains. Slopes are 20 to 100 percent. The soils formed in colluvium weathered from basalt. Elevation is 30 to 1,800 feet. The climate is characterized by cool wet winters and cool moist summers. The mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 70 to 170 inches. The frost-free period is 100 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Klootchie, Skipanon, and competing Necanicum soils. Klootchie and Skipanon soils have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control and are 40 to 60 inches deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Ascar soils are used primarily for timber production and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation includes western hemlock, Sitka spruce, Douglas fir with an understory of red alder, red huckleberry, salmonberry, salal, cascade Oregongrape and western swordfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mountainous uplands of the Coast Range nearest the Pacific ocean in Northwestern Oregon and Washington; MLRA 4A. The series is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clatsop County, Oregon, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Umbric epipedon - from 2 to 14 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - from 14 to 37 inches (Bw horizon).
The series allows for ochric epipedons in the series range.
Particle-size control section - from 2 to 37 inches.
Andic soil properties - from 2 to 37 inches.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.