LOCATION HESSELTINE              WA

Established Series
Rev. ARH/SHB
03/2012

HESSELTINE SERIES

The Hesseltine series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in glacial outwash and loess on outwash plains. Slopes are 0 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation is 17 to 20 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 47 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Hesseltine silt loam, woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

O--0 to 0.5 inch; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, loose, partially decomposed litter composed of pine needles, leaves, twigs, and cones; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary.

A--0.5 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)

Bt1--10 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, sticky and plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

Bt2--18 to 28 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine pores; few thin clay films on peds and in pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

2C--28 to 60 inches; variegated extremely gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; some fine coating on rock fragments; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 2500 feet south and 1000 feet east of the northwest corner of section 29, T 30 N., R. 37 E.; USGS Hunters, WA., topographic quadrangle; Latitude - 48 degrees, 4 minutes, 17.6 seconds North; Longitude - 118 degrees, 11 minutes, 22.5 seconds West; NAD 83..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to the discontinuity range from 14 to 30 inches. These soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches for 60 to 80 consecutive days during the summer and autumn. Mean annual soil temperature is 47 degrees to 52 degrees F. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 14 inches thick. The soils are slightly acid or neutral.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. It is silt loam or loam and is
modified by gravel, cobbles or stones in some pedons.

The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is silt loam or loam and averages 10 to 18 percent clay. The upper part has 0 to 15 percent rock fragments and the lower part 25 to 50 percent. The weighted average of rock fragments in the argillic horizon ranges from 15 to 35 percent.

The 2C horizon below depth of 30 inches has moderately coarse to coarse texture and has 35 to 90 percent rock fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Kitchen Creek series. Kitchen Creek soils lack rock fragments in the profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hesseltine soils are on glacial outwash plains at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 35 percent. These soils formed in glacial outwash with a thin mantle of loess. They occur in a continental climate having dry summers and cool, moist winters. Mean annual precipitation is 17 to 20 inches. Average January temperature is 25 degrees F., average July temperature is 68 degrees F., mean annual temperature is 47 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Garrison, Spens, and Stevens soils. Garrison, Spens and Stevens soils do not have an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; moderately high saturated hydraulic conductivity in the Bt horizon, and very high saturated hydraulic conductivity in the 2C horizon.

USE AND VEGETATION: Primarily woodland and range. Some areas are used for the production of small grains, alfalfa, grass, and seeded pasture. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, Sandberg bluegrass and yarrow.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington; MLRA 9. Series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington, 1917.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil include:
Mollic epipedon - from 0.5 to 10 inches (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - from 10 to 28 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Particle-size control section the zone from 10 to 28 inches (Bt horizons)

The Hesseltine series and the original type location are no longer recognized in Spokane County. The type location was moved to Stevens County in 03/2012 because that is the largest remaining acreage extent. Significant acreage (more than 71,000 acres) of the Hesseltine series and its associated phases (varying depth classes, surface stoniness - both on and in the soil, etc.) in Spokane County was remapped in the update (extensive revision) using numerous series.

MLRA evaluation notes- further investigation is needed to determine the presence and extent of the volcanic ash influence in surface layers throughout Stevens, Lincoln and Whitman counties in addition to an evaluation of the ecological site assignments. Hesseltine is currently a Benchmark soil.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.