LOCATION BANNEL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over medial, glassy over amorphic, frigid Vitric Hapludands
TYPICAL PEDON: Bannel paragravelly sandy loam - forested on a 35 percent north slope at an elevation of 2,400 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--1/2 inch to 0; leaves, needles, and twigs.
A1--0 to 1 inch; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam (volcanic ash), light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
A2--1 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) paragravelly sandy loam (volcanic ash and cinders), grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many fine irregular pores; 20 percent pumice, slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 4 inches thick)
2Bw1--4 to 10 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) extremely paragravelly sand (cinders and volcanic ash), white (10YR 8/2) dry; iron stains, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6); single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; many medium and coarse irregular pores; 70 percent pumice and 15 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
3Bw2--10 to 17 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam (volcanic ash), pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine, and common fine and medium roots; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent pumice; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
3Bw3--17 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) paragravelly fine sandy loam (volcanic ash and cinders), pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; many, fine, distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) stains; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 25 percent pumice; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
3Bw4--22 to 41 inches, brown (10YR 5/3) paragravelly loamy sand (volcanic ash and cinders), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; many, fine, distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) stains; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium roots; many fine irregular and few fine tubular pores; 20 percent pumice and 5 percent pebbles; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
3BC--41 to 50 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) paragravelly loam (volcanic ash and cinders), pale brown 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 30 percent pumice; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
4C--50 to 60 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) extremely paragravelly sand (cinders and volcanic ash), yellow (10YR 7/8) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many coarse irregular pores; 60 percent pumice and 20 percent pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Skamania County, Washington; 700 feet north and 2,000 feet west of the southeast corner, sec. 3, 4, T. 8 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. These soils are dry for less than 45 consecutive days in the moisture control section. Pumice fragments in the control section average from 10 to 30 percent and rock fragments average from 0 to 15 percent. The particle-size control section averages 60 percent or more vitric volcanic ash and pumice by weight.
The A horizon has value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 8 dry, and chroma of 2 to 3 moist and dry. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid.
The 2Bw1 horizon has 60 to 80 percent pumice. Some pedons have stains with a hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, and value of 4 or 5 moist. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid.
The 3Bw2 horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. Stains have value of 3 to 6 moist, 4 to 8 dry, and chroma of 4 to 8 moist and dry. It is stratified layers of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, and loamy sand. Pumice fragments average from 10 to 30 percent. The horizon has intermittent lenses of soft scoria fragments and coarse sand size ash. Soil reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The 3BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. It is paragravelly sandy loam of paragravelly loam. Pumice fragments range from 15 to 35 percent. Soil reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The 4C horizon has value of 5 or 6 moist, chroma of 6 to 8 moist and dry. Pumice fragments range from 60 to 80 percent, rock fragments range from 0 to 20 percent. It is extremely paragravelly sand or extremely paragravelly loamy sand. In some pedons the 4C horizon is at depths greater than 60 inches. Soil reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. The Benham soils are similar. Benham soils have ashy-pumiceous layers 15 to 26 inches thick which constitute the upper part of the particle-size control section ("W" tephra set).
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bannel soils are on mountain backslopes and ridgetops at elevations of 1,500 to 2,800 feet. Slopes are 5 to 90 percent. Bannel soils formed in aerially deposited volcanic ash and pumice. Beginning at the surface of the mineral soil, the stratigraphy of pyroclastic material from Mt. St. Helens present in Bannel soil profiles is (1) fresh ash and pumice including the 176-year-old "Layer T, (2) pumice of the 400-year-old "Layer W", (3) ash, pumice and scoria of the 2,500-year-old "B set", (4) ash and pumice of 3,000-year-old "P set", and (5) pumice of the 3,500-year-old "Layer Y": and in some profiles coarse sand size ash front Pine Creek pyroclastic flow ash cloud. The climate is characterized by warm, moist summers and cool, wet winters. Average annual precipitation is 115 to 130 inches. Average January temperature is 30 degrees F; average July temperature is 61 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 43 to 46 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Bandid, Cinnamon, and Lonestar Series and the competing St. Helens series. Bandid soils are ashy over pumiceous or cindery. Cinnamon soils are ashy over medial. Lonestar soils are cryic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Pacific silver fir and red alder, with an understory of Oregon-grape, salal, red huckleberry, princess pine, willow, and false-Solomons-seal.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Skamania County, Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skamania County, Washington, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon from the mineral surface to 4 inches and a cambic horizon from 10 to 50 inches. The 0 to 40 inch particle-size control section is assumed to be more than 60 percent vitric material throughout. From the mineral soil surface to 4 inches qualifies as ashy (A1 and A2), from 4 to 10 inches qualifies as ashy-pumiceous (2Bw1), and from 10 to 40 inches qualifies as medial (3Bw2, 3Bw3 and 3Bw4). The ashy particle-size class was determined using a weighted average of 0 to 40 inches with no contrasting classes recognized.
Further investigation is needed as to the 15-bar moisture content of the "B" set ash and pumice layer (3Bw2, 3Bw3, 3Bw4) to determine whether the typical weakly smeary sandy loam textures qualify as medial. Other geographically associated soils having been formed in the same "B" material are now classified as medial. This tephra set should be handled the same wherever found.
Classificaiton changed 6/98 based on 1998 Keys to Soil Taxonomy. This soils was classified as aa ashy, frigid Typic Vitrandepts.