LOCATION HANNEGAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic Lithic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Hannegan very gravelly loam, on a 30 percent slopes under an open stand of young mountain hemlock and Pacific silver fir at 4,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry/moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
O1--5 to 4 inches; undecomposed needles, leaves, and twigs.
O2--4 inches to 0; decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs; many very fine, fine, and medium roots.
E--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very gravelly loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent hard pebbles, 15 percent hard cobbles, and 20 percent weathered pebbles; extremely acid (pH 4.4); clear smooth boundary. (1/2 to 4 inches thick)
Bhs--1 to 5 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) very gravelly loam, reddish gray (5YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent soft pebbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
Bs1--5 to 12 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very cobbly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; organic stains of dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent hard pebbles, 30 percent hard cobbles, and 20 percent soft weathered pebbles; NaF pH 11.5; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bs2--12 to 17 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few very fine roots; many very fine irregular pores; 30 percent hard pebbles, 10 percent hard cobbles, and 10 percent weathered pebbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
R--17 inches; fractured phyllite.
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington, about 4 miles southwest of Glacier, 2,500 feet south and 2,000 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 26, T. 39 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 to 44 degrees F. Depth to a lithic contact with phyllite and thickness of volcanic ash influence ranges from 14 to 20 inches. Content of phyllite fragments in the particle-size control section is 25 to 35 percent hard pebbles, 10 to 30 percent hard cobbles, and 10 to 20 percent soft weathered pebbles.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.
The Bhs horizon is very gravelly loam or very cobbly loam.
The Bs horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 moist, 5 to 8 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is very gravelly loam or very cobbly loam.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Tolstoi series and the similar Clendenen and Hinker series. Tolstoi soils lack soft weathered phyllite in the particle-size control section. Clendenen soils have a paralithic contact at 14 to 20 inches. Hinker soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hannegan soils are on glacially modified mountain backslopes at elevations of 3,800 to 4,100 feet. Slopes are 15 to 40 percent. The soils formed in volcanic ash, loess, and colluvium from phyllite and sandstone. Hannegan soils are in a cold, marine climate with cool, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Snow cover lasts from November through July. Average annual precipitation is 90 to 110 inches. Mean January temperature is about 28 degrees F, and mean July temperature is about 56 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hinker soils and the Kulshan, Potchub, and Saar soils. Kulshan soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Potchub and Saar soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact with dense glacial till.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Pacific silver fir, and mountain hemlock, with an understory of tall blue huckleberry, salmonberry, bunchberry dogwood, deer fern, and western brackenfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Whatcom County. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom County, Washington, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 5 inches; a spodic horizon from 5 to 17 inches, with more than 6 percent organic carbon in the upper 7 inches; and a lithic contact at 17 inches.