LOCATION ELOIKA                  WA

Established Series
Rev. NCD/BDG/RJS
06/2016

ELOIKA SERIES

The Eloika series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in outwash or ablation till of mixed mineralogy with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess. These soils are on terraces, terrace breaks, and till plains and have slopes of 0 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 650 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over isotic, frigid Typic Vitrixerands

TYPICAL PEDON: Eloika silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

Oe--0 to 3 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; loose, partially decomposed organic litter of needles, leaves, and twigs; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 10 cm)

E--3 to 4 cm; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy very fine sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 cm)

Bw1--4 to 10 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 3 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 cm thick)

Bw2--10 to 38 cm; brown (7.5YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 5 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (18 to 38 cm thick)

2BC--38 to 64 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 10 percent rounded gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (23 to 50 cm thick)

2C1--64 to 114 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; common medium distinct mottles of brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; two irregular wavy brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist bands .5 cm thick; 25 percent rounded gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5) clear wavy boundary. (46 to 61 cm thick)

2C2--114 to 137 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; many medium distinct mottles of brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive, hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; common very fine pores; 40 percent rounded gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

3C3--137 to 152 cm; multicolored extremely gravelly coarse sand; many large mottles of reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist, in the upper few inches of the horizon; sand predominantly of metamorphic origin, some with coatings that effervesce with dilute HCL, and most with sandy loam coatings and interstitial material; single grain; loose; very few roots; 50 percent rounded gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4)

TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 792 meters north and 670 meters west of the southeast corner of sec. 36, T. 30 N., R. 42 E. Latitude - 48 degrees, 3 minutes, 15.26 seconds North; Longitude - 117 degrees, 26 minutes, 45.47 seconds West. NAD 83. Fan Lake, WA., USGS topographic quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture control section - usually moist in all horizons but is dry in all parts between depths of 20 to 60 cm for 45 to 60 consecutive days during the summer and autumn
Mean annual soil temperature - ranges from 6.1 to 7.8 degrees C.
Volcanic ash influence - 35 to 50 cm thick
Estimated properties of the volcanic ash mantle:
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction - 30 to 60 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al + Fe - 1.0 to 2.0 percent
Phosphate retention - 25 to 50 percent
15-bar water retention on air dried samples - 5 to 12 percent
Moist bulk density - 0.60 to 0.90 grams per cubic centimeter

Rock fragments - 0 to 25 percent in the upper 35 to 50 cm of the particle-size control section and 25 to 35 percent in the lower part of the particle size control section
Clay content - less than 18 percent in the fine earth fraction of the lower part of the particle size control section
Sand content - 25 to 50 percent coarser than fine in the lower part of the particle size control section
Reaction - neutral or slightly acid

E horizon - absent in some pedons
Vlaue - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 1 or 2, dry or moist
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 6.8

Bw1, Bw2 horizons (A horizons present in some pedons)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam, ashy very fine sandy loam, ashy sandy loam, or ashy loam
Clay content - 3 to 10 percent
Rock Fragments - 2 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 2 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 6.8

2BC horizon (2Bw present in some pedons)
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4, dry and moist
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Clay content - 5 to 10 percent
Rock fragments - 3 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 3 percent cobbles, 5 to 15 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 6.9

2C1 horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Clay content - 1 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 20 to 30 percent gravel, 0 to 6 percent cobbles, 20 to 30 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 6.8

2C2 horizon (2Bq horizons present in some pedons)
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Clay content - 1 to 15 percent
Rock fragments - 20 to 55 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones, 35 to 60 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 7.0


3C horizon (2Bq horizons present in some pedons)
Rock fragments - 35 to 70 percent
Texture - loamy sand, coarse sand, or sand
Clay content - 1 to 5 percent
Rock fragments - 30 to 65 percent gravel, 5 to 25 percent cobbles, 0 to 5 percent stones, 35 to 70 percent total rock fragment content
Reaction - pH 6.1 to 7.0

COMPETING SERIES:
Louploup (WA) - are dry for 75 to 90 consecutive days and have a 2Cd horizon.
Tillicum (WA) - are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days and are deep to a lithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms - outwash terraces, terrace breaks, and till plains
Elevations - 515 to 1,010 meters
Slopes - 0 to 40 percent
Parent material - formed in outwash or ablation till of mixed mineralogy with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess
Climate - continental climate having warm dry summers and cool moist winters
Mean annual precipitation - 500 to 775 mm
Mean annual air temperature - 5.6 to 7.8 degrees C.
Frost-free season - 90 to 125 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aits, Bonner, Clayton, Laketon, Merkel, Nevine, and Waits soils. Aits and Waits soils have a mantle of volcanic ash 18 to 36 cm thick. Clayton soils have an influence of volcanic ash 18 cm thick with 5 to 20 percent volcanic glass. Laketon soils have a fine-silty control section. Merkel and Nevine soils have a loamy-skeletal control section. Bonner soils are on similar outwash terraces and are ashy over loamy-skeletal in the particle size control and have sandy or sandy skeletal layers within 100 cm.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily for timber production, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Some areas are cultivated for production of small grains, alfalfa, hay, and grasses; or are used for grazing. Overstory vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, western larch and grand fir. Understory vegetation is mallow, ninebark, Oregon-grape, snowbrush ceanothus, snowberry, and wild rose. Ground vegetation is kinnikinnick, myrtle pachystima, strawberry, pinegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. MLRA 44A. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington, l961.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 cm (Oe, E, horizons)
Andic feature - the zone from 3 to 38 cm (E, Bw1, Bw2 horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 4 to 64 cm (Bw1, Bw2, 2BC horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 3 to 103 cm (E, Bw1, Bw2, 2BC, part of the 2C1 horizons).

Note: The E horizon is assumed to be younger volcanic ash (Mt. St. Helens T or W) and not related to any spodic horizon. It is less than 1 cm thick.

The 10/01 description reflected a change in classification from Ashy over loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Vitrixerands to Ashy over loamy, glassy over isotic, frigid Typic Vitrixerands.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data available for Soil Survey Sample Number: S02WA-063-002 Spokane County, WA. NSSL Pedon Number: 03N0290

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.