LOCATION HUEL               WA
Established Series
Rev. FRM/RJE
05/97

HUEL SERIES


The Huel series consists of deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in alluvium on flood plains and low terraces. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 140 inches., The mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, isomesic Vitrandic Udifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Huel loamy fine sand, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 6 inches; dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) loamy fine sand, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; weak coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)

C1--6 to 10 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) fine sandy loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; weak thick platy structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)

C2--10 to 22 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) loamy fine sand, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium roots from 15 to 22 inches; 6 bands 1/4-inch thick of loamy very fine sand; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 16 inches thick)

2C3--22 to 30 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) very gravelly loamy sand, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)

2C4--30 to 36 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) very gravelly coarse sand, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few roots; moderately acid (pH 6.0); (Several feet thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Washington; 100 feet east of Spur Road; 200 yards from Queets River Road; NE1/2 SE1/2 NW1/4 sec. 20, T.24N., R.11W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is about 50 degrees F. The soils are strongly acid to moderately acid. Content of coarse fragments by weighted average in the control section ranges from 35 to 75 percent.

The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, moist value of 3 or 4, and moist chroma of 1 or 2.

The 1C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, moist value of 3 or 5, and moist chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam and loamy fine sand, with or without gravel.

The 2C horizon has the same color ranges as the IC horizon. It is gravelly or very gravelly coarse sand, or gravelly or very gravelly loamy sand, with thin layers of finer textures occurring at random.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Juno and Potomac series. Juno soils have an A horizon 10 to 20 inches thick and have hue of 10YR. Potomac soils have hue of 10YR in the 2C horizon and have more than 20 degrees F difference between mean winter and mean summer soil temperatures.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Huel soils are on flood plains and low terraces at elevations of near sea level to about 200 or 300 feet. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in moderately coarse and coarse-textured alluvium. They are in a wet cool marine climate having cool, relatively dry summers and moist, wet winters. Mean annual temperature is 50 degrees F., and mean summer temperature is 60 degrees F. Annual precipitation ranges from 120 to 160 inches. The growing season at 28 degrees F.
i. 190 to 210 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hoh soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid to rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Forest. Principal plants are red alder, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and Douglas-fir. A few small areas are used for hay and pasture.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington rain forest. Series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Washington, 1971.

REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic horizons and feature recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 5 inches and a particle-size control section from 10 to 40 inches that is sandy throughout and averages more than 35 percent rock fragments.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.