LOCATION BELLE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, ferrihydritic, mesic Alic Hapludands
TYPICAL PEDON: BELLE silt loam. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 4 inches, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; strong medium and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
BA--4 to 9 inches, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate fine, medium and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--9 to 36 inches, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; strong fine, medium, and coarse granular structure; hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
BC--36 to 60 inches, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; few fine distinct light gray, brownish yellow and strong brown mottles; weak coarse granular structure; very hard, friable, sticky and slightly plastic; very strongly acid (pH 4.9)
TYPE LOCATION: Mason County, Washington. NE 1/4 Sec. 36, T. 19N., R. 6W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean soil temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually moist and are dry less than 45 consecutive days following summer solstice. The particle-size control section is estimated to be 18 to 30 percent clay.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4, 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry.
The BA horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 6 or 7, dry and chroma of 2 to 3 moist and dry. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The Bw horizon has value of 4 or 5, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The BC horizon has value of 4 or 5, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. The degree of mottling is variable and no mottles are in some pedons. The texture is silt loam or silty clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Belle soils formed in alluvium on low terraces and alluvial fans at elevations of about 20 to 1000 feet. The climate is characterized by wet, mild winters and relatively cool, dry summers. The average annual precipitation is 60 to 75 inches. The mean January temperature is 38 to 39 degrees F and the mean July temperature is 60 to 63 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 150 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Astoria and Hoquiam soils. These soils have an umbric epipedon and are medial.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, moderate permeability. These soils are subject to rare flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Some is cleared and used for cropland, corn for silage, oats, wheat, barley, kame fruit, grass-legume hay and pasture are common crops. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, red alder, western hemlock, western redcedar and bigleaf maple with an understory of vine maple, western swordfern, salal, Oregongrape, red huckleberry, salmonberry and western brackenfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olympic rain forest in western Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mason County, Washington, 1950.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 9 inches and a cambic horizon from 9 to 36 inches. The 1988 draft reflected an update in format only of a 2/13/1951 description. No field observations were made.