LOCATION GUEMES WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, magnesic, mesic Typic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Guemes very stony loam-forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures)
01--1 inch to 0; needles, leaves and twigs.
A2--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 60 percent angular pebbles 10 percent stones; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick).
B1--8 to 14 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, sticky and plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 70 percent angular pebbles; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick).
B21t--14 to 32 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly
clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few coarse and medium roots; few moderately thick clay films on ped faces; 50 percent pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 20 inches thick).
B22t--32 to 44 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common coarse and medium roots; few thin clay films on sand grains; 40 percent pebbles and 40 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick).
C-44 to 58 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) very gravelly loam,
grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse and medium roots; 25 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick).
Cr1--58 to 77 inches; dense glacial till that breaks down to very gravelly sandy loam; 70 percent serpentine pebbles.
Cr2--77 inches; fractured, weathered serpentine.
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington, Cypress Island; 1,800 feet west and 400 feet south of northeast corner sec. 32, T. 36 N., R. 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact is greater than 40 inches. mean annual soil temperature is 49 to 53 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice. The upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon averages 60 to 85 percent rock fragments and has 25 to 35 percent clay in the fine earth fraction.
The A2 horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR value of 5 or 6 moist, 6 through 8 dry, and chroma of 0 to 3 moist and dry. Reaction is slightly acid to neutral.
The B2t horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. it is extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, extremely gravelly clay loam, extremely cobbly clay loam or extremely cobbly sandy clay loam, Reaction is slightly acid to neutral.
Some pedons have B3 horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 5 moist and dry. it is very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very gravelly loamy sandy, very gravelly sand, or extremely gravelly sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are the Konocti and Voorhies series in other families. The Konocti and Voorhies soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Guemes soils are on mountain sideslopes at elevations of 10 to 1,500 feet. They formed in colluvium and residuum and glacial till high in olivine rich serpentine. Slopes are 8 to 70 percent. Summers are warm and dry, winters are cool and moist. Average annual precipitation is 20 to 30 inches. Mean January temperature is about 38 degrees F.; mean July temperature is about 62 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is 48 to 52 degrees F. Frost-free season is 180 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Swinomish soils. Swinomish soils are underlain by dense compact glacial till at depths of 25 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability in the B2 horizon and moderate to rapid below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for woodland, wildlife habitat, and recreation land. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, western redcedar, lodgepole pine, Oregon-grape, creambush oceanspray, and rhododendron.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cypress Island, western Skagit County, Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skagit County, Washington, 1981.