LOCATION HOZOMEEN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, shallow Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Hozomeen gravelly loam, on a 30 percent slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--6 to 5 inches; undecomposed needles, leaves, and twigs.
Oa--5 inches to 0; decomposed needles, leaves and twigs; common very fine, many fine and medium roots.
E--0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) gravelly fine sandy loam, reddish gray (5YR 5/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles; extremely acid (pH 4.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bhs--1 to 4 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) dry; organic stains of dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4), dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) dry on ped faces; weak fine subangular blocky parting to weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 25 percent pebbles; NaF pH 9.4; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bs1--4 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) very gravelly loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky parting to weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 40 percent pebbles; NaF pH 10.5; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bs2--8 to 13 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly loam, (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, few fine and medium roots; many very fine irregular pores; 40 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 11.5; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick))
BC--13 to 18 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very gravelly loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; massive, slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; very few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 50 percent pebbles; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Cr--18 to 60 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) dense compact glacial till that breaks to gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; 30 percent pebbles; NaF pH 10.0; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington, about 7 miles southeast of Van Zandt, 2,000 feet north and 300 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 29, T. 38 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 43 to 45 degrees F. Depth to a paralithic contact of dense compact glacial till and thickness of volcanic ash influence ranges from 14 to 20 inches. Content of rock fragments in the control section averages 35 to 45 percent.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 6 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 1 through 3 moist and dry.
The Bhs and Bs horizons have hue of 5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. They are gravelly loam, gravelly silt loam, very gravelly loam, or very gravelly silt loam.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR through 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5 moist, 4 through 6 dry. It is very gravelly loam or very gravelly silt loam.
The Cr horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 through 6 moist and dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist and dry. It is dense glacial till that breaks to gravelly loam or very gravelly loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the similar Edfro and Kindy series. Edfro soils are serpentinitic. Kindy soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to dense glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hozomeen soils are on glacially modified mountain backslopes at elevations of 1,800 to 3,200 feet. These soils formed in local alpine glacial till, colluvium, loess, and volcanic ash. Hozomeen soils are in a cold marine climate with cold, wet winters and cool, dry summers. Snow cover lasts from December through April. Average annual precipitation is 80 to 95 inches, mean January temperature is 31 degrees F, mean July temperature is 58 degrees F, and mean annual temperature is 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Kindy soils and the Getchell, Klawatti, and Springsteen soils. Getchell soils are coarse-loamy and 20 to 40 inches deep to dense glacial till. Klawatti and Springsteen soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact and Klawatti soils are serpentinitic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, slow runoff, moderate permeability to the dense glacial till and very slow through it. A perched water table is as high as 1 to 1.5 feet at times from November through April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production. Vegetation is western hemlock, Pacific silver fir, and western redcedar, with an understory of red huckleberry, Oregon-grape, salal, bunchberry dogwood, western brackenfern, and trailing blackberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SOURCE OF NAME: Hozomeen Peak and Hozomeen Creek in eastern Whatcom County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 1 inch, a spodic horizon from 1 to 13 inches, and a paralithic contact with dense glacial till at 18 inches. These soils were correlated as Kindy Variant in the July 1983 correlation of Whatcom County Area, Washington.