LOCATION ELVEDERE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Xeric Paleargids
TYPICAL PEDON: Elvedere silt loam - on a 5 percent southwest-facing slope at 1,560 feet elevation under native range vegetation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
E--0 to 6 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine, common fine roots; 5 percent rounded pebbles; neutral (pH 7.1); abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--6 to 10 inches; 60 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) and 40 percent light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist, moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky, plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many moderately thick clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bk1--10 to 15 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic, common very fine and fine roots; common fine lime filaments and soft masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 18 inches thick)
Bk2--15 to 27 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive (varved); hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine soft masses of lime between varves; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bk3--27 to 52 inches; white (2.5Y 8/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive (varved); slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine soft masses of lime between varves; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 36 inches thick).
Bk4--52 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive (varved); slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few fine soft masses of lime between varves; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Colville Indian Reservation, Okanogan County, Washington; about 1 1/2 miles north of the town of Belvedere; 200 feet north and 1,800 feet west of the southeast corner, sec. 25, T. 30 N., R. 30 E., WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 51 to 53 degrees F. These soils are dry in all parts between a depth of 4 and 12 inches for more than half the time when the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. Depth to the Bk horizons is 7 to 18 inches. The particle-size control section is less than 5 percent coarse fragments, 35 to 45 percent clay, and less than 15 percent particles coarser than very fine sand. Some pedons have a stony surface layer.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4 moist or dry. It is silty clay loam or silty clay. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry, 2 to 4 moist. It is silty clay loam or silty clay. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. It has 5 to 15 percent calcium carbonate.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Acoma, Berdugo, Biscaro, Borda, Bowns, Brent, Chardoton, Gooding, Hagata, Jowec, Locey, Lodico, Poall, Reba, Sorf, and Spangenburg series in another family. All these soils have smectitic mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elvedere soils are on undulating terraces, terrace escarpments and plateaus and have slopes of 0 to 45 percent. These soils formed in glaciolacustrine sediments. Elevations are 1,100 to 2,600 feet. The climate is semi-arid, with hot, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. The average January temperature is about 25 degrees F, the average July temperature is about 74 degrees F, and the average annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 140 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cashmere, Cashmont, Ellisforde, Leahy (T), Peshastin, Pogue, Quincy, Skaha, and Winchester soils. Cashmere and Cashmont soils have a mollic epipedon and are coarse-loamy. Ellisforde soils have a mollic epipedon and are coarse-silty. Leahy soils have a natric horizon. Peshastin soils have a mollic epipedon and are loamy-skeletal. Pogue soils have a mollic epipedon and are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Quincy and Winchester soils are sandy. Skaha soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland, hay and pasture, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation includes bluebunch wheatgrass, big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass, hood phlox, gravel milkvetch, western hawkbeard, silky lupine, and common yarrow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Okanogan County (Colville Indian Reservation), Washington, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the surface to 6 inches, and an argillic horizon from 6 to 10 inches. There is an abrupt textural change from the albic to the argillic horizon-clay increases from 18 percent to 39 percent (absolute) within a vertical distance of 2.5 cm.
ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory data are available for this soil (Sample No. 85P4797-4799).