LOCATION HEYTOU WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcidic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Heytou very stony loam, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very stony loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 1 percent boulders, with some stones on surface; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
BA--10 to 19 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bw--19 to 26 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) very cobbly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bkd--26 to 32 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) very cobbly loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive, hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium tubular pores; discontinuous soft lime lenses about 1/8 inch thick; 30 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 30 inches thick)
Cd--32 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very cobbly loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few medium tubular pores; 30 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington; 1,320 feet east of NW corner sec. 26, T.27N., R.24E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 51 to 53 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in all parts between a depth of 8 and 24 inches for more than half the time when the soil temperature is greater than 41 degrees F, (105 to 115 consecutive days). Depth to secondary carbonates and dense glacial till is at 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section is 35 to 60 percent rock fragments and 5 to 18 percent clay. Rock fragments are dominantly basalt and are mostly subrounded. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 dry, 2 or 3 moist. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The BA and Bw horizons have value of 4 through 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 through 4 dry, 1 through 3 moist. Texture is loam or sandy loam in the fine-earth fraction. These horizons are gravelly, cobbly, very gravelly, or very cobbly.
The Bkd horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist. It is very gravelly or very cobbly and is loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline. There are white lime and silica coatings on the underside of the cobbles and stones in some pedons.
The Cd horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 1 to 4 moist or dry. Texture is very cobbly or very gravelly loam or sandy loam. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Haystack, Nighthawk, Olex, Peshastin, Redcanyon and Strat series. Nighthawk and Peshastin soils have rock fragments that are dominantly granite, schist, and gneiss; in addition, Peshastin soils lack dense glacial till within the particle-size control section. Olex soils have mean annual soil temperature of 55 to 59 degrees F, and have a silt loam cambic horizon. Haystack soils have 15 to 25 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Redcanyon soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock. Strat soils lack the dense glacial till and are sand or coarse sand in the lower part of the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Heytou soils are on glacial till plains on basalt controlled plateaus and have slope gradients of 0 to 70 percent. Heytou soils formed in glacial till high in basalt mixed with loess in the upper part. Few basalt boulders, up to 100 feet in diameter, are on the surface in some areas. Elevations are 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The climate is semiarid with warm dry summers and cool moist winters. Average annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 12 inches. The mean January temperature is about 26 degrees F., mean July temperature is about 70 degrees F.; mean annual temperature is 49 degrees F.; and the frost-free season is about 130 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bakeoven, Ellisforde, Entiat, Logy, Malott, Renslow, Stubblefield, Timentwa, and Touhey soils and the competing Peshastin soils. Bakeoven and Entiat soils are less than 20 inches deep to a lithic contact. Ellisforde and Renslow soils and coarse-silty. Malott, Timentwa, and Touhey soils have 10 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. In addition, Timentwa soils are pachic and are usually moist. Stubblefield soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a duripan.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate or slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for grazing, small amount in dryland small grain production. Vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, needleandthread, big sagebrush, buckwheat, arrowleaf balsamroot, silky lupine, common yarrow, and hood phlox.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Washington. These soils are extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1978.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the mineral surface to 19 inches, a cambic horizon from 19 to 26 inches, a zone of carbonate accumulation from 26 to 32 inches, and dense glacial till at 32 inches.