LOCATION ASHUE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ashue loam-irrigated cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap1--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Ap2--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive (tillage pan); very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 20 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, dark yellowish brown, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common thin clay films on faces of some peds and interfaces with pebbles; 80 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 7.3); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 19 inches thick)
C1--20 to 36 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; 80 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
2C2--36 to 60 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; single grained; loose; few fine roots; 80 percent pebbles; mildly alkaline (pH 7.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Yakima County, Washington; 200 feet north of Branch Road and 1,000 feet west of Lateral B Road; SE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 25, T.11N., R.18E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is 13 to 30 inches thick. The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 50 degrees to 55 degrees F. The soil is neutral or mildly alkaline. These soils are usually dry in all parts between depths of 4 and 12 inches. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 12 inches thick. The argillic horizon contains 35 to 90 percent coarse fragments and has 20 to 30 percent clay in the fine earth fraction. Depth to very gravelly sand exceeds 30 inches. The A1 or Ap horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It is loam or sandy clay loam and has more than 35 percent coarse fragments. It has weak or moderate blocky or prismatic structure.
The C and 2C horizons have value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 2, 3 or 4. The C horizon is loam or sandy loam, and has 50 to 90 percent coarse fragments. The 2C horizon is extremely gravelly sand or extremely cobbly sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Badenaugh, Collard, Nosroc, Searles, Shroe, and Tollgate series. Badenaugh soils are slightly acid or medium acid in the lower part of the control section. Collard soils have mean annual soil temperature of 47 degrees to 49 degrees F. and are loamy sand at a depth of 20 to 27 inches. Nosrac soils have a solum more than 50 inches thick. Searles soils have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Shroe soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 47 degrees to 50 degrees F. and the rock fragments are dominantly tuff. Tollgate soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 47 degrees to 50 degrees F. and is solum more than 40 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashue soils are on low terraces in valleys at elevations of 700 to 1,700 feet. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in old alluvium. They are in a climate with a mean annual precipitation of 6 to 9 inches with warm dry summers and cold moist winter. Average January temperature is 29 degrees F.; average July temperature is 73 degrees F,; and mean annual temperature is 51 degrees F. Frost-free season is 130 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cleman, Naches, Toppenish, Track, and Weirman soils. Cleman soils are coarse-loamy and lack an argillic horizon. Naches soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Toppenish and Track soils have an aquic moisture regime. Weirman soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability in the subsoil and very rapid in the lower part of the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is irrigated. Crops grown are orchards, vineyards, truck crops, hay and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yakima County, Washington, 1970.