LOCATION BILLYRIDGE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Billyridge gravelly sandy loam in an alfalfa-grass hay field on a 8 percent southwest facing slope at an elevation of 1,350 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise note. All textures are apparent field textures)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; few fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A--6 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; common fine tubular and interstitial pores; 15 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--16 to 30 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common medium tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles, and 5 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 16 inches thick)
Bw2--30 to 40 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common medium tubular and interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles, neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
C--40 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular and spherical pores; 20 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; about 3 miles northeast of Leavenworth; 2,200 feet north and 1,200 feet east of southwest corner of sec. 29, T. 25 N., R. 18 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The control section contains 5 to 25 percent rock fragments. The solum is 30 to 40 inches thick. The mollic epipedon is 12 to 20 inches thick. The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to be 47 to 49 degrees F. These soil are usually moist, but are dry in all parts between 8 and 24 inches for 60 to 75 consecutive days.
The A horizons have value of 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist, with a chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Structure is weak or moderate granular, weak fine platy or weak or moderate crumb.
The Bw horizons have value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist with a chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Structure is weak or moderate medium to coarse prismatic or weak medium subangular. Texture is sandy loam or fine sandy loam and has 5 to 25 percent rock fragments.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 to 7 dry and 3 to 5 moist with chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. Texture is sandy loam or loamy sand and has 10 to 35 percent rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ardening, Canderly, Catelli, Crouch, Donovan, Fanal, Hellgate, Phoebe, Spokane, Usk, and Wind River soils. Ardening soils are 10 to 20 percent weathered rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Canderly and Crouch soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 54 to 56 degrees F. Cantelli, Spokane, and Usk soils have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Donovan soils are glacial till with a bulk density of 1.60 to 1.80 g/cc in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Hellgate soils are dry for 75 to 90 consecutive days and are 25 to 50 percent coarse sand in the particle-size control section. Phoebe and Wind River soils have less than 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Billyridge soils are on fans and terraces and have slopes of 0 to 25 percent slopes. The soils formed in alluvium. Elevation is 1,100 to 1,700 feet. These soils developed in a climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 18 to 24 inches. The mean January temperature is about 24 degrees F and the mean July temperature is about 69 degrees F. The average annual temperature is about 46 degrees F. The frost-free season at 32 degrees F is 105 to 145 days. The growing season at 28 degrees F is 165 to 185 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brief, Burnscreek, CleElum, Mippon, and Varelum soils. Brief soils receive less rainfall and have a base saturation of more than 75 percent throughout. Burnscreek soils are loamy-skeletal. CleElum and Varelum soils are fine-loamy. Mippon soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to moderate runoff, moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for hay, pasture, woodland, wildlife, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir with an understory of antelope bitterbrush, saskatoon serviceberry, common snowberry, bluebunch wheatgrass, pinegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, spirea stoneseed, spreading dogbane, and Oregon-grape.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Valleys in northcentral Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Chelan County, 1986. Source of name is Billy Ridge in Chelan County, Washington.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 16 inches and a cambic horizon from 16 to 40 inches.