LOCATION HUMSKEL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, amorphic Andic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Humskel gravelly sandy loam, on a 51 percent southeast- facing ridge under a coniferous canopy. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
01--1 inch to 0; needles, bark and twigs. (1 to 10 inches thick)
A2--0 to 2 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) gravelly sandy loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine irregular pores; 20 percent angular pebbles; NaF pH 9.2; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
B21hir--2 to 9 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) very gravelly sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; nonsticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 40 percent angular pebbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
B22ir--9 to 17 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy loam strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary, few very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 45 percent angular pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
B23ir--17 to 23 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) very gravelly sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 50 percent angular pebbles, 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 10.5; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
R--23 inches; fractured hard argillite.
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington; approximately 1,960 feet south and 1,135 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 7, T. 36 N., R. 8E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 39 to 41 degrees F. Depth to the lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section averages 50 to 70 percent rock fragments of which less than 15 percent are phyllites. Soil reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The A2 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.
The Bhir horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist and dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loam or sandy loam with 30 to 45 percent rock fragments.
The Bir horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, and 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It is a sandy loam or loam with 50 to 70 percent rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the (T) Hinker and Saar series. Hinker soils have more than 35 percent phyllite in the control section. Saar soils have a paralithic contact with dense glacial till at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Humskel soils are on glacially modified mountain ridge tops and backslopes at elevations from 3,200 to 4,500 feet. Slopes are 3 to 65 percent. They formed in volcanic ash mixed with colluvium from hard argillite or quartzite. The average annual precipitation is 85 to 110 inches. The mean July temperature is about 53 degrees F., and the mean January temperature is about 28 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 37 to 39 degrees F. The frost-free season is 70 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clendenen, Kindy, and Springsteen soils and the competing Saar soils. Clendenen soils are shallow to a paralithic contact of dense glacial till. Kindy and Springsteen soils have less than 6 percent organic carbon in the upper 10 cm of the spodic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is western hemlock, mountain hemlock, Pacific silver fir, western redcedar, bunchberry dogwood, deer fern, tall blue huckleberry, and strawberryleaf raspberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skagit County, Washington, 1981
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy.