LOCATION FEARS WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy Xeric Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Fears stony ashy fine sandy loam - under coniferous trees on a 35 percent north-facing slope at an elevation of 6,250 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed forest litter.
A--1 to 2 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) stony ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine crumb structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones and 1 to 3 percent surface stones and boulders; NaF pH 9.6; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary (0 to 2 inches thick)
C--2 to 3 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy loamy fine sand; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine crumb structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; NaF pH 10.5; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
Bw1--3 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) cobbly ashy fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist, weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 10 percent pumice paragravel; NaF pH 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bw2--5 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cobbly ashy fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 10 percent pumice paragravel; NaF pH 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 19 inches thick)
Bw3--11 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very cobbly ashy fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4); moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones, 5 percent boulders, and 10 percent pumice paragravel; NaF pH 10.5; moderately acid (pH 6.0); gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
C1--21 to 33 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones, 5 percent boulders, and 10 percent pumice paragravel; NaF pH 10.0; moderately acid (pH 5.8); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C2--33 to 62 inches; yellow (10YR 8/6) extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 5 percent pumice paragravel; NaF pH 10.0; moderately acid (pH 5.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; about 9 miles northeast of 25-Mile Creek Forest Service Guard Station; 2,000 feet east and 600 feet north of southwest corner of sec. 9, T. 30 N., R. 20 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to be 42 to 44 degrees F. The solum is 20 to 45 inches thick, has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.85 to 1.15 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent, 15-bar water retention of 5 to 12 percent, 35 to 80 percent rock fragments, and 5 to 10 percent pumice paragravel. Below a depth of 40 inches, glass content ranges from 15 to 40 percent and acid-oxalate values are less than 1.0.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3 dry or moist. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly acid.
The C horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly acid.
The Bw horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma is 2 to 4 dry and 2 to 6 moist. Texture is cobbly ashy fine sandy loam, stony ashy fine sandy loam, gravelly ashy fine sandy loam. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral. It is ashy fine sandy loam, ashy sandy loam or ashy coarse sandy loam and can be gravelly, cobbly, stony, very gravelly or very cobbly.
The C horizon has value of 5 to 8 dry and 4 to 7 moist, and chroma is 4 to 7 dry and 2 to 6 moist. Texture is extremely gravelly ashy coarse sandy loam, extremely cobbly ashy coarse sandy loam, extremely cobbly ashy sandy loam, or extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam in the upper part and ranges to extremely gravelly ashy loamy sand or extremely cobbly ashy loamy sand in the lower part. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Azwell, Bamber, Burpeak, Chewack, Hallihan, Madrak, Tiptop, and Wuksi series. Azwell soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock and are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days. Hallihan soils have developed andic soil properties from residual volcanic rocks. Bamber soils are deep to a lithic contact. Burpeak soils are deep to a lithic contact. Chewack soils have loamy-skeletal material at depths of 20 to 35 inches. Madrak soils are moderately deep to a lithic contact. Wuksi soils have 70 to 100 percent glass and have coarse sand and sand fine-earth texture.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fears soils are on mountain slopes on all aspects. Slopes are 30 to 90 percent. Elevation is 4,500 to 6,900 feet. These soils formed in volcanic ash and pumice mixed with colluvium from granitic rocks. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 30 to 55 inches., The mean January temperature is about 22 degrees F, the mean July temperature is about 57 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 37 to 42 degrees F. The growing season at 28 degrees F is about 70 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Devore and Goffpeak soils. Devore soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Goffpeak soils are not skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland, wildlife habitat, watershed, and recreation. Native vegetation is subalpine fir and lodgepole pine with an understory of huckleberry, lupine, pachystima, rusty menziesia, elk sedge, and Jacobs ladder.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in the northern part of Chelan County, Washington. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon and a cambic horizon from 3 to 21 inches. Andic soil properties are present throughout the solum. All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data are available; National Soil Survey lab numbers 817615 and 817616.