LOCATION BLAINEGATE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Blaingate silty clay, 0 to 1 percent slopes. (Colors are for dry/moist soils unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; few fine prominent mottles of yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; moderately acid; (pH 5.8) abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Btg--9 to 27 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay, light gray (5Y 7/1) dry; many fine prominent mottles of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky, plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; many very fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; thin patchy clay films on ped faces and clay flows in pores; slightly acid; (pH 6.2) clear smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
C1g--27 to 45 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, white (5Y 8/1) dry; many fine prominent mottles of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; some clay flows in pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 42 inches thick)
C2g--45 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay, white (2.5Y 8/2) dry; many coarse prominent mottles of light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) dry; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular and common very fine tubular pores; neutral (pH 7.2);.
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington; l mile east of Blaine, 2,600 feet south and 1,800 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 5, T. 40 N., R. 1E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 50 to 54 degrees. The particle-size control section has 60 to 75 percent clay by weighted average. Thickness of the solum is 12 to 30 inches.
The Ap horizon has value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 moist and dry.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 3 through 6 moist, 5 through 8 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry.
The Cg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6 moist, 7 or 8 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry. Some pedons have thin strata of silt loam, silty clay loam, or sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family. The Baroda and Reed soils are in other families. Baroda soils are in a montmorillonitic family. Reed soils are in a fine family and have cracks when the soil is dry.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Blainegate soils are on marine terraces. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. Elevation is 50 to 450 feet. These soils formed in clayey marine sediments with minor amounts of volcanic ash and loess in the upper part. The average annual precipitation is 30 to 50 inches. Average January temperature is about 39 degrees F. Average July temperature is about 62 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F. The frost-free season is 150 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bellingham, Labounty, Skipopa, Whatcom, and Yelm soils. Bellingham soils are in a fine family. Labounty soils are fine-loamy. Skipopa, Whatcom, and Yelm soils have a spodic horizon and are moderately well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is very slow to ponded. Permeability is very slow. A perched water table is as high as the surface to 1 foot from November to June, unless drained.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for woodland or cropland, some is in urban development. Hay, pasture, and corn for silage are common crops. Native vegetation is red alder, western redcedar, and western hemlock with an understory of western swordfern, western brackenfern, trailing blackberry, salmonberry, and hardhack.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom County Area, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 9 inches and a gleyed argillic horizon from 9 to 27 inches. These soils were correlated as Bellingham Variant in the July 1983 correlation of Whatcom County Area, Washington.