LOCATION BREHM WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Argiduridic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Brehm silt loam- rangeland, on a 4 percent south-facing slope at an elevation of 2,500 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine platy structure parting to moderate fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
AB--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
2Btk--10 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on the faces of peds; 15 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; few lime coatings on undersides of rock fragments; strong effervescence, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
2Bk--21 to 24 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; few lime coatings on undersides of rock fragments; violent effervescence, moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
3Bkqm--24 to 34 inches; indurated lime-silica duripan.
4Bkqm/C--34 to 60 inches; stratified indurated material with lenses of very gravelly sandy loam.
TYPE LOCATION: Yakima County, Washington, about 2,150 feet north and 1,850 feet west of the southeast corner of section 2, T. 12 N., R. 22 E.; USGS Black Rock Spring topographic quadrangle: Lat. 46 degrees, 33 minutes, 18 seconds N. and Long. 120 degrees, 01 minutes, 33 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches ranges from 47 to 54 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in the moisture control section more than half of the time when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 40 degrees F. The particle-size control section averages 25 to 35 percent clay in the fine earth fraction and 35 to 50 percent coarse fragments by volume. Solum thickness and depth to duripan ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 15 inches thick. Organic matter is estimated to range from 1 to 2 percent.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist.
The AB horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It has 5 to 10 percent pebbles. It is loam or silt loam.
The 2Btk and 2Bk horizons have value 5 or 6 dry, 2 through 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4, dry or moist. They are very cobbly loam, very gravelly loam or very cobbly clay loam. The 2Btk horizon is slightly or moderately alkaline.
The 3Bkqm horizon is indurated, has gravelly to extremely gravelly matrix, 8 to 36 inches thick with 1 to 5 inches thick silica plates and is above weakly cemented to indurated alluvium.
The 4Bkqm/C horizon is made up of weakly cemented to indurated layers of varying thickness, separated by continuous and discontinuous layers of alluvium.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Fax series. The Fax soils have Bqkm horizons that are moderately or strongly cemented.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brehm soils are on fan piedmonts and have slopes of 2 to 15 percent. These soils formed in loess and alluvium. Elevations are 1,800 to 2,900 feet. These soils are in a semiarid climate with warm dry summers and cold moist winters. The average annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 12 inches. The mean January temperature is about 25 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is about 69 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. The frost-free season is 130 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Benwy, Durtash, Gorskel, Gorst, Manastash, Selah, and Terlan series, all of which occur on old alluvial fans. Benwy soils are fine-loamy and greater than 40 inches deep. Durtash soils are clayey-skeletal and 12 to 20 inches to duripan. Gorskel soils are 9 to 20 inches to duripan. Gorst soils are loamy and 12 to 20 inches to duripan. Manastash soils are more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Selah soils are fine-loamy. Terlan soils are fine-loamy and 10 to 20 inches to duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained, slow or medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Cusick bluegrass and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Yakima and Kittitas Counties, Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittitas County, Washington, Yakima Training Center, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 10 inches, and argillic horizon from 10 to 21 inches, a calcic horizon from 10 to 24 inches, and an indurated lime-silica duripan at 24 inches. The particle-size control section is the zone from 10 to 21 inches (argillic horizon).