LOCATION ENTIAT                  WA

Established Series
Rev. VB/RJE/TLA
01/2011

ENTIAT SERIES

The Entiat series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from granitic rock, loess, and volcanic ash. Entiat soils are on mountainsides and have slopes of 0 to 75 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 11 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 52 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Haploxerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Entiat sandy loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)

A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; few fine pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

AB--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine prismatic structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; about 45 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

Bw--8 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 60 percent gravel; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Cr--18 inches; weathered granodiorite.

TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; about 440 feet south and 2,000 feet west of E 1/4 corner of sec. 9, T. 26 N., R. 21 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F. These soils are neutral or slightly alkaline. The particle-size control section contains 35 to 60 percent coarse fragments by weighted average, and is loam or sandy loam. A small amount of pumice and volcanic ash is in the profile. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 10 inches thick.

The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It has weak fine subangular blocky, weak thin platy, or weak fine granular structure. It is gravelly fine sandy loam or sandy loam.

The AB horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It is gravelly fine sandy loam, loam, or sandy loam. It contains 30 to 50 percent gravel.

The Bw horizon has value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. This horizon contains 40 to 60 percent gravel and a few cobbles. Some pedons have C horizons. It is very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly loam. It has less than one percent organic matter.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Minneha series. Minneha soils lack a cambic horizon and have a mollic epipedon 11 to 18 inches thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on mountainsides at elevations of 800 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 75 percent. The soils formed in granodiorite, granite, or gneiss residuum, alluvium and colluvium with varying amounts of loess and volcanic ash intermixed. The climate is semiarid, with hot, dry summers and moist, cold winters. Mean annual precipitation is 9 to 14 inches. Mean January temperature is 25 to 28 degrees F, mean July temperature is 70 to 74 degrees F, mean annual temperature is 48 to 55 degrees F, and frost-free season is 130 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cashmont, Dinkelman, and Tyee soils. Cashmont soils lack a paralithic contact. Dinkelman soils lack a paralithic contact within 20 inches of the surface. Tyee soils lack a mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly for range, watershed, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, Sandberg bluegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, big sagebrush, and antelope bitterbrush.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral Washington. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, 1969.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the mineral surface to 8 inches, a cambic horizon from 8 to 18 inches, and a paralithic contact at 18 inches.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.