LOCATION ETHANIA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over medial-skeletal, glassy over amorphic Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Ethania very paragravelly ashy loamy sand, sandstone substratum--in a regenerated clear cut area on a 52 percent northeast facing convex slope at an elevation of 4,100 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs and bark.
E--1 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) very paragravelly ashy loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; 35 percent by volume 2-10mm pumice; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); NaF pH less than 9.2; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bhs--3 to 4 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) very paragravelly ashy loamy sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 30 percent by volume 2-10mm pumice; strongly acid (pH 5.4); NaF pH 12.0+ abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bs1--4 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very paragravelly ashy loamy sand, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 40 percent by volume 2 to 10mm pumice; moderately acid (pH 5.6); NaF pH 11.5; abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bs2--7 to 15 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very paragravelly ashy loamy sand, reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 40 percent by volume 2 to 10mm pumice; moderately acid (pH 5.8); NaF pH 12.0+; abrupt irregular boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
2Eb--15 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) medial loam light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic, moderately smeary; few very fine and fine roots; 5 percent sandstone pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); NaF pH 9.6; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
2Bwb1--18 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) very gravelly medial loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic, moderately smeary; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; 35 percent sandstone pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); NaF pH 11.0; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
2Bwb2--26 to 37 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy medial loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic, moderately smeary; few fine roots; 30 percent sandstone pebbles and 15 percent sandstone cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); NaF pH 11.0; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
2BCb--37 to 61 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) extremely ashy cobbly loamy sand, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; 20 percent sandstone pebbles and 50 percent sandstone cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6), NaF pH 11.0.
TYPE LOCATION: Snoqualmie Pass Area, Pierce County, Washington; St. Regis Kapowsin Tree Farm; south of the St. Regis 3210 road, 1,950 feet east and 1,250 feet south of the northwest corner, sec. 26, T. 16 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 38 to 40 degrees F. The upper 4 to 14 inches of the particle-size control section contains 35 to 50 percent volcanic pumice and cinders that range from 2 to 10mm in size and 25 to 40 percent volcanic ash. The lower portion of the control section contains less than 10 percent volcanic ash and pumice and 40 to 70
percent, by volume, sandstone or andesite pebbles and cobbles. Some pedons have dense glacial till at depths of 40 to more than 60 inches.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bhs horizon has value of 3 or 4 most, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist or dry. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10HR, value of 4 through 6 moist, 5 through 8 dry, and chroma of 4 through 8 moist or dry. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The 2Eb horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. Texture is loam or sandy loam modified by 5 to 20 percent coarse fragments by volume. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The 2Bwb horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 though 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist or dry. Texture is loam or sandy loam modified by 35 to 60 percent coarse fragments dominantly pebbles by volume. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist or dry. Texture is sandy loam or loamy sand modified by 50 to 70 percent coarse fragments by volume. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chinkmin and Haywire series. These soils lack the paragravelly layer 14 to 24 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ethania soils are on mountain ridgecrests, sideslopes, and cirque basins at elevations of 3,500 to 5,200 feet. Slopes range from 8 to 90 percent. The Ethania soils formed in a mantle of slightly weathered pumice and cinders overlying colluvium and residuum from sandstone, andesite or glacial till. The climate is marine influenced with relatively cool, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The mean annual precipitation is 80 to 110 inches, with a large portion of it in the form of rain and snow in the winter months. The mean January temperature is about 27 degrees F, the mean July temperature is about 58 degrees F, and the mean annual air temperature is about 37 degrees F. Frost-free season is 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cattcreek and Cotteral soils. These soils have less organic carbon in the upper part of the spodic horizon. In addition, Cotteral soils are medial in the lower part of the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very rapid permeability in the pumice mantle, moderately rapid or rapid in the buried profile; slow to medium runoff. Pedons underlain by dense glacial till have a water table as high as 3.5 to 5 feet at times from November through March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Vegetation is Pacific silver fir, noble fir, western hemlock and Alaska-cedar with an understory of common beargrass, deerfern, common fireweed, huckleberry, pearly everlasting and thimbleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the central Cascade Mountains in eastern Pierce County, Washington; MLRA 3. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Snoqualmie Pass Area, Pierce County, Washington, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 2 inches, a spodic horizon from 2 to 14 inches, and a buried solum from 14 to 60 inches. The layer from the mineral surface to 14 inches is 40 percent pumice and more than 60 percent pumice and ash combined.