LOCATION HAMMAHAMMA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, frigid Typic Durudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Hammahamma very gravelly medial loam - forestland, on a 55 percent south-facing slope at an elevation of 2,500 feet in a western hemlock/salal-common beargrass plant association. (When described on July 11, 1990 the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly medial loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine granular and weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 35 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.1); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--16 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
2Bw3--25 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) very gravelly sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 17 to 31 inches)
2Bsm--29 to 37 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4), light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; massive; strongly cemented; 30 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
2Cd--37 to 61 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) dense very gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 30 percent gravel 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6). (several feet thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Mason County, Washington; about 4 miles southwest of Elk Lake, about 1,585 feet west and 1,280 feet south of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 24 N., R. 4 W. (Latitude 47 degrees, 32 minutes, 01 seconds N., Longitude 123 degrees, 11 minutes, 37 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist in the soil moisture control section and are dry 0 to 30 consecutive days after the summer solstice; udic moisture regime. Depth to cemented layer is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section from the mineral soil surface to the contact with the cemented layer has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 14 to 27 inches. It also has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.75 to 0.90 g/cc., acid-oxalate extractable aluminium plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 15 to 30 percent for air dried samples, acid oxalate iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent, and 40 to 70 percent rock fragments by volume.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3, 4, or 6 moist and 4 or 6 dry. It has 3 to 15 percent organic matter. It has 2 to 3 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is very gravelly medial sandy loam, very gravelly medial loam, or extremely gravelly medial sandy loam. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The 2Bw horizon has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.90 to 1.00 g/cc.
The 2Bsm horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR, or 5Y, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 3, 4 or 6 moist and dry.
The 2Cd horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 3, 4, or 6 moist or dry. It is very cobbly loamy sand, very gravelly loamy sand, or extremely gravelly loamy sand. Reaction is moderately or strongly acid. It has moist bulk density of 1.50 to 2.00 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Hoodcanal series. Hoodcanal soils have pH's less than 5.0 in the subsoil and have 2 cmol/kg of aluminum in the subsoil.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hammahamma soils are on glacial valleys and glaciated mountain slopes. Slopes are 30 to 60 percent. The soils formed in residuum and colluvium over dense glacial till with a cemented layer derived from marine basalt rocks. Elevations are 1,850 to 2,850 feet. Average annual precipitation is 70 to 150 inches. Average annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. Frost-free season is 130 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Duckabush, Fricaba, McGravey, Sawpeak, Waketickeh, and Walkinshaw soils. Duckabush and McGravey soils are on mountain slopes and are very deep. Fricaba soils are on mountain slopes and glaciated mountain slopes are moderately deep to bedrock. Sawpeak soils are on mountain slopes and are moderately deep to bedrock. Waketickeh and Walkinshaw soils are on mountain slopes and are very shallow and shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderately rapid permeability above the cemented glacial till and very slow permeability below. The subsoil is saturated for 20 or more consecutive and over 30 cumulative days from November through March; (oxyaquic).
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, Pacific rhododendron, red huckleberry, salal, Oregon-grape, common beargrass, and western swordfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mason and Jefferson Counties, Washington; MLRA 1. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mason County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon, a cambic horizon from 8 to 29 inches, andic soil properties 1 to 25 inches, a cemented horizon from 29 to 37 inches and densic material from 37 to 61 inches. The particle-size control section is from 1 to 29 inches (A and Bw horizons). The zone from 1 to 25 inches is medial-skeletal and from 25 to 29 inches is loamy-skeletal. The soil also would quality as Oxyaquic if such a subgroup were recognized.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL pedon S91WA-45-005.