LOCATION GLACIERISLAND WA
Established Series
IRD. SMB/PHR/MPR
07/2017
GLACIERISLAND SERIES
Landscape--Cascade Mountains
Landform--lahars, moraines, outwash terraces, glacial valley floors
Slope--15 to 100 percent
Parent material--glacial till and lahar sediment
Mean annual precipitation--about 2200 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 3 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, glassy Typic Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Glacierisland very gravelly ashy sandy loam on a northwest-facing, 65-percent slope of a forested moraine at an elevation of 1310 m (When described on July 11, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--0 to 4 cm; slightly decomposed plant material; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary
Oe--4 to 14 cm; moderately decomposed plant material; few very fine and coarse and common fine and medium roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); clear wavy boundary
A--14 to 46 cm; very gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium and few coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine andesite gravel, 25 percent medium and coarse andesite gravel, 15 percent andesite cobbles, and 5 percent andesite stones; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary
Bw1--46 to 94 cm; very cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to coarse and few very coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent fine andesite gravel, 10 percent medium and coarse andesite gravel, 20 percent andesite cobbles, and 5 percent andesite stones; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary
Bw2--94 to 150 cm; extremely gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to coarse and few very coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent fine andesite gravel, 25 percent medium and coarse andesite gravel, 15 percent andesite cobbles, and 5 percent andesite stones; moderately acid (pH 5.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Pierce County, Washington, south of the South Puyallup River, along the Wonderland Trail between Emerald Ridge and South Puyallup River Campground in Mount Rainier National Park; about 635 m south and 540 m west of the northeast corner of section 1, T. 15 N., R. 7 E., Willamette Meridian; Mount Rainier West, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle; latitude 46.814705 degrees north, longitude -121.862439 degrees west, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--3 to 6 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October
All mineral horizons
*Organic carbon content--less than 0.6 percent
*Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
*Volcanic glass content--50 to 75 percent
*Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--greater than 0.4 percent
*Clay content--1 to 7 percent
*Rock fragment content--35 to 75 percent total, including 15 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 35 percent cobbles, 0 to 10 percent stones, and 0 to 10 percent boulders
O horizon
*In lieu of texture--slightly decomposed plant material, moderately decomposed plant material
*Thickness--3 to 14 cm
A1 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--1 to 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry
*Chroma--1 to 3 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loamy sand
*Thickness--20 to 40 cm
Bw1 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--2.5 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
*Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, ashy coarse sandy loam
*Thickness--35 to 60 cm
Bw2 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--2.5 to 5 moist, 4 to 7 dry
*Chroma--1 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy fine sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, ashy sandy loam
COMPETING SERIES:
Sheepskull--50 to 100 cm deep to lithic contact (moderately deep)
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1000 to 2000 m
Climate--cool, dry summers; cold, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1700 to 2800 mm
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 5 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 60 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Sluiskin--lithic contact within 25 to 50 cm of the soil surface (shallow); associated with areas that have bedrock near surface
Sheepskull--lithic contact within 50 to 100 cm of the soil surface (moderately deep); associated with areas that have bedrock near surface
Wonderland--aquic conditions 25 to 50 cm from the soil surface; in positions with gentler slopes that receive runoff
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high, very high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, Pacific silver fir, noble fir, Engelmann spruce, Sitka alder, vine maple, thimbleberry, Oregon oxalis, deer fern, western swordfern, oakfern, twinflower
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Cascade Mountains, Washington; MLRA 3; small extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington; 2014; name from Glacier Island subpeak in Mount Rainier National Park
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 14 to 114 cm
*Ochric epipedon
*Cambic horizon--zone from 14 to 150 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from 14 to 150 cm
*Volcanic glass--zone from 14 to 150 cm
3/2017--This official series description was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015). Most of the changes were in formatting; no major technical changes were made.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.