LOCATION CRINKER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, mixed Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Crinker very channery silt loam - on a 29 percent convex west-facing slope under a coniferous canopy of western hemlock and Pacific silver fir. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
01--3 to 1 inch; leaves, needles and twigs. (2 to 4 inches thick)
02--1 inch to 0; partially decomposed wood and leaves. (1 to 2 inches thick)
E--0 to 1 inch; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) channery silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent channers; NaF\pH\<9.4; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bhs--1 to 4 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very channery silt loam reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) dry; many distinct thin dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) organic coatings on ped faces; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic and weakly smeary; many fine and medium roots, common coarse roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent channers; NaF pH 9.4; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bs1--4 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) very channery silt loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common very fine tubular pores; 40 percent channers; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.2); gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bs2--9 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very channery loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic and weakly smeary; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 45 percent channers; NaF pH 10.6; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
C--20 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) extremely channery loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; few very fine roots, few very fine tubular pores; 65 percent channers and 5 percent flagstones; NaF pH 10.6; medium acid (pH 5.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
2R--32 inches; phyllite.
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington; about 5 miles southwest of Rockport, Washington; 2,200 feet west and 2,300 feet north of the SE corner, sec. 8, T. 34 N., R. 9 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 39 degrees to 44 degrees F. The depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments in the particle-size control section average 40 to 70 percent.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 moist and dry. Reaction is extremely acid to medium acid.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR through 10YR; value of 3 through 5 moist, 5 through 8 dry; and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 5 through 8 dry; and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It is very channery silt loam or very channery loam with 40 to 55 percent rock fragments. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 4 through 6 moist, 6 through 8 dry; chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It is very channery silt loam, very channery loam, or extremely channery loam with 40 to 70 percent rock fragments. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid. Some pedons lack a C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Conto, Dinzer, Homestead, Lastance, Mt. Hood, Springsteen, and Tenex series and the similar Alkiridge, Esmeralda, Gilpar, Hatchet, Howson, Kachess, Kindy, Lemah, Ohanna, Playco, Polallie, Ronsel, Thetis, Vabus, and Waptus soils. Alkiridge, Conto, Dinzer, Esmeralda, Gilpar, Kachess, Homestead, Lastance, Lemah, Mt. Hood, Playco, Ronsel, Tenex, and Thetis soils are more than 40 inches deep. Hatchet soils are slightly acid or moderately acid in the spodic horizon and 60 to 90 percent andesitic pebbles and cobbles in the particle-size control section. Howson and Polallie soils are 35 to 60 percent hard sandstone fragments in the particle-size control section and the fine earth fraction is sandy loam in the lower part. Kindy Ohanna, Vabus, and Waptus soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact with dense glacial till. Springsteen soils lack organic coatings on faces of peds in the Bs horizon and have a mean annual soil temperature of 42 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crinker soils are on glacially modified mountain ridge tops, shoulder slopes and mountain backslopes at 2,600 to 4,000 feet elevation. They formed in volcanic ash, glacial till, and colluvium and slope alluvium from phyllite. Slopes range from 3 to 65 percent. The average annual precipitation is 80 to 95 inches. These soils have a marine climate with cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers with snow cover from November to May. The average January temperature is 29 degrees F, and the average July temperature is 57 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is about 41 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Diobsud, Getchell, Hinker, Potchub, Rinker, Saar, and Wollard and the competing Springsteen soils. The Diobsud, Getchell, Potchub, Saar, and Wollard soils have a paralithic contact with dense glacial till at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Hinker soils have more than 6 percent organic carbon in the upper 10 cm of the spodic horizon. Rinker soils are frigid.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow or medium. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, tall blue huckleberry, salmonberry, bunchberry dogwood, western brackenfern, deer fern, and queencup beadlily.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the Cascade Mountains in northwestern Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skagit County area, Washington, l98l.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Andic soil materials at 0 to 32 inches. The Bhs horizon has more than 6 percent carbon but is less than 4 inches (10 cm) thick. Laboratory data are available on this series. NSSL numbers 81P3101-3107. Data supports revised classification. The spodic horizon meets chemical criteria for a spodic horizon. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 1 inch, a spodic horizon from 1 inch to 20 inches, and a lithic contact at 32 inches.