LOCATION CUSICK WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, frigid Aquic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cusick silty clay loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; many fine roots; many fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 17 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) silty clay, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; few faint very fine brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations near root channels, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common fine roots within prisms, many fine roots on prism faces; common very fine and fine tubular pores; gray (10YR 5/1) continuous distinct clay films on faces of peds and in root channels and pores, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--17 to 37 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) silty clay, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots within prisms, many fine roots on prism faces; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; gray (10YR 5/1) continuous distinct clay films on prism faces and in pores, dark gray (10YR 4/1); neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 21 inches thick)
C1--37 to 58 inches; white (2.5Y 8/1) silty clay, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; common fine faint and distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few fine roots; common very fine tubular and few fine vertical tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary. (19 to 21 inches thick)
2C2--58 to 73 inches; white (2.5Y 8/1) very fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist, common fine faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Pend Oreille County, Washington; about 1-1/2 miles east and 3 miles north of Cusick; 200 feet west, 200 feet north of the southeast corner, Section 2, T. 33 N., R. 43 E., WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist, but are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice. These soils are usually saturated from November through April. Depth to the water table in the winter and early spring is ponded to 2 feet. The mean annual soil temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry and moist. It is medium acid or slightly acid.
The Bt horizon has value of 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry, 2 or 3 moist. The structure is moderate angular blocky or moderate prismatic. This horizon is slightly acid or neutral.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry and moist. Texture is siltyclay or silty clay loam above 50 inches, but ranges to very fine sandy loam below 50 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cusick soils are in lake basins and have slopes of 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in fine-textured glacial lacustrine sediments of mixed mineralogy. Elevations are 2,000 to 2,200 feet. The climate has warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 25 to 27 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dalkena, Martella, Newbell, Scotia, and Sacheen soils. Dalkena soils lack an argillic horizon and are coarse-loamy over clayey. Martella soils are fine-silty. Newbell soils are loamy-skeletal. Sacheen soils are sandy. Scotia soils are coarse-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for hay and pasture. Native vegetation is ponderosa pint and lodgepole pine, with an understory of longetube twinflower, serviceberry, hawthorn, Oregon-grape, common snowberry, rose, pinegrass, and spirea.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pend Oreille County Area, Washington, l981.
REMARKS: Colors with a chroma of 2 or less are inherited from the parent material and are not indicative of an aquic moisture regime. Partial laboratory data is available. The National Soil Survey laboratory numbers are #78P0856 - #78P0860 (field sample numbers S77WA-051-012 and S77WA-051-013). Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 7 inches and an argillic horizon from 7 to 37 inches.