LOCATION FISCUS WA
Established Series
Rev. CSM/KDPL/SBC/TDT
09/2019
FISCUS SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--ridges, mountain slopes
Slope--10 to 70 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash over colluvium derived from basalt or andesite
Mean annual precipitation--about 1400 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal over loamy-skeletal, glassy over isotic Xeric Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Fiscus ashy sandy loam in an area of forestland, on a 26-percent, northeast-facing slope at an elevation of 1350 m (When described on August 28, 1991, the soil was dry. All textures are apparent field textures)
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed forest litter mixed with a small amount of 1980 Mount St. Helens volcanic ash
A--3 to 13 cm; ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent pumice less than 2 mm in size; 5 percent gravel; NaF pH 11.5; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary
Bw1--13 to 38 cm; gravelly ashy sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; many very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine irregular pores; 25 percent pumice less than 2 mm in size; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.0; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary
Bw2--38 to 53 cm; very gravelly ashy sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 15 percent pumice; 25 percent gravel (2 to 10 mm in size) and 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.0; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary
Bw3--53 to 74 cm; very gravelly ashy sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; 45 percent gravel (2 to 10 mm in size) and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 10.1; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual smooth boundary
2Bt1--74 to 104 cm; very gravelly fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 9.2; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary
2Bt2--104 to 137 cm; extremely gravelly fine sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly sticky; few very fine and fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 35 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, and 1 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual smooth boundary
2Bt3--137 to 170 cm; very gravelly fine sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Yakima County, Washington, about 1.5 km north of Rimrock Lake; about 170 m south and 45 m east of the northwest corner of section 35, T. 14 N, R. 13 E.; latitude 46 degrees, 39 minutes, 48 seconds north and longitude 121 degrees, 10 minutes, 33 seconds west
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm--6 to 7 degrees C
Estimated mean summer soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry in all parts 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice
Lower part of particle-size control section--40 to 65 percent rock fragments; 18 to 35 percent clay
Andic soil material
*Thickness--36 to 76 cm
*Estimated moist bulk density--0.75 to 1.10 g/cm3
*Glass content--30 to 80 percent
*Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half iron--1 to 2 percent
*Phosphorus retention--40 to 55 percent
*15-bar water retention--8 to 12 percent (air-dried samples)
Oi horizon
Thickness--3 to 5 cm
A horizon
Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
Value--4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Thickness--8 to 18 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
Value--4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture--gravelly ashy sandy loam, very gravelly ashy sandy loam, extremely gravelly ashy sandy loam
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness--25 to 64 cm
2Bt horizon
Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
Value--4 or 5 moist
Chroma--4 to 6 dry or moist
Fine-earth texture--fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragment content--35 to 65 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Combined thickness--64 to 122 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Burpeak--100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact (fractured andesite); no argillic horizon; 5 to 12 percent clay in lower part of particle-size control section
Chewack--no argillic horizon; bulk density of 1.10 to 1.30 g/cm3 in andic soil material
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--910 to 1900 m
Climate--warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--1025 to 1775 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -4 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 17 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free season--40 to 80 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Fifesridge--mountainsides; fine-loamy
Terence--mountainsides; ashy-skeletal
Pileup--mountainsides; loamy-skeletal
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high over moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--mainly timber production, recreation, and wildlife habitat
Native vegetation--lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, western larch, Douglas-fir, grand fir, western white pine, pinegrass, longtube twinflower, pachystima, western prince's pine, elk sedge, Jacob's ladder, big huckleberry
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains in central and south-central Washington; MLRA 6; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wenatchee National Forest, Yakima County, Washington; 2003
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Ochric epipedon
*Andic soil properties--zone from 3 to 74 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 74 to 170 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 3 to 104 cm; ashy in zone from 3 to 38 cm, ashy-skeletal in zone from 38 to 74 cm, and loamy-skeletal in zone from 74 to 104 cm
*Alfic subgroup feature--argillic horizon at a depth of 74 cm
1/2000--Classification changed from mixed mineralogy to glassy over isotic.
More investigation is needed to determine whether or not the Fiscus series is in the udic soil moisture regime based on the presence of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and twinflower. If the soils are udic, they are similar to the soils of the Twolakes series.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--sample number 55B-8-2, Yakima Nation Soil Laboratory; sample number S91WA-077-003, National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, NE
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.