LOCATION GRANFLAT WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Granflat gravelly ashy sandy loam - forestland, on a 3 percent south southwest-facing slope at an elevation of 2,840 feet. (When described on May 4, 1994 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed needles and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly ashy sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and large roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
AB--7 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--10 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly ashy sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 25 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (6.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
2C1--16 to 26 inches; multicolored extremely cobbly sand; single grain, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 50 percent gravel and 30 percent cobbles; neutral (7.0); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2C2--26 to 61 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly sand; single grain, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; many very fine and fine interstitial pores; 55 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; neutral (6.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Okanogan County, Washington about 2,100 feet south and 1,700 feet west of the northeast corner of section 5, T. 36 N., R. 21 E. (Latitude 48 degrees 38' 1"N., Longitude 120 degrees 14' and 16"W. [NAD83]
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 42 to 47 degrees F.
Soil Moisture: usually moist but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 60 to 75 days following the summer solstice.
Andic soil properties: upper 10 to 16 inches has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.0 to 1.40 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 20 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.4 to 1.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples.
Coarse fragments: average 55 to 85 percent in the particle size control section.
Thickness of Mollic epipedon: 10 to 16 inches
A horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist.
Gravel: 10 to 20 percent.
Cobbles: 0 to 5 percent.
Stones: 0 to 5 percent.
AB horizon
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 to 4 moist.
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist.
Gravel: 15 to 30 percent.
Cobbles: 5 to 20 percent.
Bw horizon
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 4 moist.
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist.
Gravel: 15 to 35 percent.
Cobbles: 10 to 30 percent cobbles.
2C horizon
Gravel: 40 to 65 percent.
Cobbles: 10 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Granflat soils are on outwash terraces and on low stream terraces. Slopes are 0 to 60 percent. These soils formed mixed volcanic ash mixed with glacial outwash and alluvium. Elevations are 2,600 to 4,000 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The mean annual precipitation is 20 to 24 inches. The mean January temperature is 22 to 26 degrees F., the mean July temperature is 62 to 67 degrees F., and the mean annual air temperature is 39 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buttoncreek, Goddard, Lekrem, and Sitdown soils. Buttoncreek soils are on fans and footslopes, are cryic, and have an ash mantle 7 to 14 inches thick. Goddard soils are on outwash terraces and terrace escarpments and have a 7 to 14 inch thick lighter colored ash mantle. Lekrem soils are on mountain backslopes and are loamy-skeletal. Sitdown soils are cryic, have a lighter colored ash mantle 7 to 14 inches thick and are on outwash terraces and terrace escarpments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very slow to slow runoff; very rapid permeabilty
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for wildlife habitat, recreation, livestock grazing, and timber production. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, grouse blueberry, longtube twinflower, pachystima, pinegrass, common snowberry, kinnikinnik, and strawberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Okanogan County, Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Okanogan National Forest, Okanogan County, Washington, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Mollic epipedon zone from 1 to 10 inches (A and AB horizons)
Cambic epipedon zone from 10 to 16 inches (Bw horizon). It has less then one percent organic matter.
Particle size control section zone from 11 to 41 inches (AB, Bw, 2C1, and part of the 2C2)
Vitrandic properties - zone from 1 to 16 inches (A, AB and Bw horizons)