LOCATION CATTCREEK WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over medial-skeletal, glassy over amorphic Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Cattcreek very paragravelly loamy sand - under a coniferous forest on a 63 percent slope at an elevation of 3,760 feet. (The soil was moist when described. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--1 inch to 0; partially decomposed needles, twigs and bark.
E--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very paragravelly loamy sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; single grain; loose; many fine roots; 45 percent rounded and subangular 2 to 10 mm size pumice fragments; moderately acid (pH 5.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (1/2 to 3 inches thick)
Bs1--2 to 5 inches; dark yellowish brown (7.5YR 3/4) very paragravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; many fine and common medium and coarse roots; 45 percent rounded and subangular 2 to 20 mm size pumice fragments; moderately acid (pH 5.7); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bs2--5 to 13 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very paragravelly sand, reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) dry; single grain; loose; many fine and medium roots and few coarse roots; 55 percent rounded subangular 2 to 25 mm size pumice fragments; slightly acid (pH 5.3); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bs3--13 to 24 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) extremely paragravelly sand, reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) dry; single grained; loose; few fine, medium and coarse roots; 70 percent rounded and subangular 2 to 25 mm size pumice fragments; slightly acid (pH 5.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
2Eb--24 to 25 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; few fine medium and coarse roots; common fine pores; 15 percent 2 to 15 mm size pumice fragments, 35 percent 1 to 3 cm size andesite fragments; slightly acid (pH 5.7); abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
2Bsb--25 to 56 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine and very fine pores; 55 percent andesite pebbles and 20 percent andesite cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (20 to 35 inches thick)
2R-56 inches; fractured andesite.
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, Washington; NW 1/4 SE 1/4/ SE 1/4, sec. 12, T. 13 N., R. 6 E., W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is 40 to 60 inches or more. Mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 43 degrees F. Depth to the buried profile is to 20 to 35 inches. The upper part of the particle-size control section is 35 to 75 percent pumiceous cinders. The lower part of the control section is 50 to 70 percent angular andesite pebbles and cobbles. The soil is moderately acid to slightly acid throughout.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry.
The Bs1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 through 7 dry.
The Bs2 horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 2 through 6 moist and dry. It is very paragravelly loamy sand or very paragravelly sand.
The chroma of the Bs3 horizon ranges from 5 through 8 moist and dry.
The 2Eb horizon tongues into the 2Bsb in some pedons. The material below 40 inches is bedrock, skeletal material, fragmental material, or glacial till.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Vabbing series and the Bellicum, Bromo, Cotteral, and Wedge series in other families. Bellicum and Bromo soils are frigid. Cotteral soils are cindery over medial. Wedge soils lack a buried medial-skeletal solum in control section. Vabbing soils have a mean annaul soil temperature of 43 to 45 degrees F. and lack a buried albic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cattcreek soils are on mountain slopes and cirque basins at elevations of 2,800 to 5,300 feet. Slopes are 8 to 90 percent. The upper profile formed in aerially deposited dacitic pumice and volcanic ash from Mt. St. Helens. The lower part of the profile formed in colluvium, alluvium or glacial till from andesite with an admixture of pumice and volcanic ash. Mean annual temperature is 39 to 42 degrees F. and average annual precipitation is 90 to 120 inches including considerable snow. The growing season (28 degrees F.) is 70 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Cotteral soils and the Stahl soils. Stahl soils have an umbric epipedon and are medial-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability in the upper profile and moderate in the buried profile. Pedons underlain by dense glacial till have a perched water table as high as 3.5 to 5 feet at times from November through March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation is Pacific silver fir, noble fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, western white pine, Alaska-cedar, Douglas-fir, beargrass, Oregon-grape, longtube twinflower, western brackenfern, evergreen blackberry, black mountain huckleberry, princes pine, bunchberry dogwood, deer fern, red huckleberry, violet, queencup beadlily, tall blue huckleberry, and western rattlesnake plaintain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Cascade Mountains in Lewis and Pierce Counties, Washington. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lewis County, Washington, 1979.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboaratory data available for soil samples 78T7641 and 78T7642 - Lewis County, WA. Laboratory data available for this OSD pedon, sample number S80WA-041-001; NSSL, Lincoln, NE.
REMARKS: Classification changed 6/98 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic horizons and features included in this pedon:
Albic horizon - from 0 to 2 inches
Spodic horizon - from 2 to 13 inches meeting chemical and color criteria for a spodic horizon. The zone from 12 to 24 inches fails color requirements for a spodic horizon. This zone was formed in volcanic cinders.
Buried albic horizon - from 24 to 25 inches
Buried cambic horizon - from 25 to 26 inches failing the color criteria necessary for a spodic horizon. This zone was formed from andesite and glacial till.