LOCATION DEMING WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic Andic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Deming gravelly silt loam - on a 55 percent southwest facing convex slope under a young stand of Pacific silver fir and western hemlock at 3,700 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--4 to 1 inch; undecomposed needles, twigs, leaves, wood fragments, and moss.
Oa--l inch to 0; decomposed needles, twigs, and leaves; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots.
E--0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) gravelly silt loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; extremely acid (pH 3.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bhs--3 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) gravelly silt loam; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) dry; dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) organic stains on ped faces, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many fine and common very fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH less than 9.0; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bs1--8 to 15 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many fine and medium and common very fine and coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 35 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.5; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
Bs2--15 to 24 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; 45 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.5; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
BC--24 to 37 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) dry; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 50 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones; NaF pH 11.0; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
2C--37 to 60 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; massive; soft, very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 60 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington, about 4 1/2 miles northeast of Maple Falls; l,900 feet north and 800 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 10, T. 40 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 to 44 degrees F. Thickness of the influence of volcanic ash is greater than 40 inches. The thickness of the solum is 24 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section, by weighted average, is 45 to 60 percent rock fragments.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 through 6 dry, chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 3 through 5 dry, chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. Organic stains have hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, chroma of 2 through 4 dry. Rock fragments range from 15 to 40 percent. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid.
The Bs and BC horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry, chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. They are 35 to 60 percent pebbles and 2 to 15 percent cobbles and stones. The fine earth fraction is silt loam, loam, or sandy loam. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The C horizon has of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 6 moist and dry. It is very gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy loam, or extremely gravelly loamy sand. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Karta, Saar, Shuksan, and Thader series and the Hinker, Humskel, and Stirrup soils in similar families. Karta soils have a Cr horizon of dense flacial till at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Hinker, Humskel, and Thader soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Saar and Shuksan soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact with dense compact, glacial till. Stirrup soils have a mantle of volcanic ash 7 to 10 inches thick and are more than 35 percent andesite in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deming soils are on glacially modified mountain backslopes at elevations of 3,500 to 4,800 feet. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. The soils formed in unconsolidated glacial till, and colluvium and slope alluvium from sandstone, conglomerate, volcanic, and metasedimentary rocks, with an admixture of volcanic ash. Deming soils are in a cold marine climate with cool, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Snow cover lasts from November through May. Average annual precipitation is 80 to 95 inches. Mean January temperature is about 28 degrees F. and mean July temperature is about 56 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Saar and Shuksan soils and the Gallup, Hartnit, Kindy, Kulshan and Potchub soils. Gallup, Kulshan and Potchub soils are medial. Hartnit and Kulshan soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Kindy and Potchub soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact with dense compact glacial till.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability in the solum and moderately rapid permeability below the solum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, and mountain hemlock with an undergrowth of red huckleberry, blue-leaved huckleberry, salmonberry, western brackenfern, deer fern, and bunchberry dogwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Whatcom County, Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom County, Washington, l983.
REMARKS: This draft reflects a change in classification from medial-skeletal Humic Cryorthods to loamy-skeletal, mixed Humic Cryorthods. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineal sueface to 3 inches and a spodic horizon from 3 to 24 inches. The spodic horizon meets chemical criteria and averages more than 6 percent organic carbon in the upper 4 inches.