LOCATION CLIFFDELL               WA

Established Series
Rev. JTK/KDPL/SBC
09/2019

CLIFFDELL SERIES


Landscape--mountains
Landform-mountain slopes, summits
Slope--5 to 75 cm
Parent material--residuum and colluvium derived from basalt, andesite, porphyritic basalt, and minor amounts of tuff and scoria with a mantle of volcanic ash
Mean annual precipitation--about 1150 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Dystroxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Cliffdell gravelly ashy sandy loam under a coniferous forest, on a 54-percent, northwest-facing slope at an elevation of 1325 m (The soil was dry when described. All textures are apparent field textures).

Oe--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed forest litter; abrupt smooth boundary

A1--3 to 5 cm; gravelly ashy loamy sand (volcanic ash), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary

A2--5 to 23 cm; gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; 20 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2), NaF pH 10.l; abrupt smooth boundary

2Bw1--23 to 66 cm; very cobbly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8) clear wavy boundary

2Bw2--66 to 97 cm; extremely cobbly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary

2Bw3--97 to 155 cm; extremely cobbly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel and 50 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0)

TYPE LOCATION: Kittitas County, Washington, about 11 km south of Cle Elum; about 610 m north and 610 m west of the southeast corner of section 35, T. 19 N., R. 15 E.; Willamette Meridian

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Particle-size control section--averages 10 to 18 percent clay and 40 to 50 percent sand in fine-earth fraction; averages 40 to 80 percent rock fragments
Mean annual soil temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry in all parts 45 to 60 consecutive days in summer and fall
Volcanic ash--more than 60 percent volcanic ash in fine-earth fraction of the upper 20 to 25 cm of mineral soil
Reaction--5.6 to 7.3 throughout

Oe horizon
Thickness--3 to 5 cm

A horizon
Value--4 to 6 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
Combined thickness--15 to 25 cm

2Bw horizon
Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
Value--3 to 5 dry or moist
Chroma--3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture--very cobbly loam, extremely cobbly loam, very gravelly loam, very cobbly sandy loam
Combined thickness--125 to 150 cm or more

COMPETING SERIES:
Bertolotti--dry 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice
Deroux--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (sandstone); dry 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice
Goode--dry 60 to 90 consecutive days following summer solstice
Littlejohn--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (fractured andesite)
Pitcher--cinder fragments in ochric and cambic horizons
Roxer--7 to 10 percent clay in particle-size control section; dry 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice
Sawtooth--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (metavolcanic rock)
Scotties--100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact (sandstone); dry 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice
Umpa--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (fractured andesite)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--920 to 1650 m
Climate--continental; warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--640 to 1400 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 18 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 8 degrees C
Growing season (at -2 degrees C)--145 to 170 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Jumpe--no mantle of volcanic ash
Terence--cryic soil temperature regime; ashy-skeletal particle-size class
Volperie--coarse-loamy particle-size class
Yahne--clayey-skeletal particle-size class

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing, wildlife habitat
Vegetation--Douglas-fir, grand fir, western larch, lodgepole pine, scattered ponderosa pine, elk sedge, pinegrass, Oregon grape

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in south-central Washington; MLRA 6; small extent

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittitas County, Washington; 2008

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Cambic horizon--zone from 23 to 155 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 103 cm


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.