LOCATION ISHMAEL            WA
Established Series
Rev. RGC/TDT
06/2000

ISHMAEL SERIES


The Ishmael series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in glacial outwash on glacial outwash terraces. Slopes are 1 to 5 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 95 inches and average annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, mesic Typic Udivitrands

TYPICAL PEDON: Ishmael extremely gravelly medial loam-forestland, on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 1,130 feet in a western hemlock/salal-swordfern plant association. (When described on December 28, 1994, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)

Oi--0 to 3 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, and other wood fragments; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)

A--3 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) extremely gravelly medial loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)

Bw1--12 to 21 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)

Bw2--21 to 31 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 13 inches thick)

C--31 to 63 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly loamy sand, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; massive, soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 65 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 1 mile southwest of Mt. Mueller, about 1760 feet west and 1980 feet north of the southeast corner of Section 21, T. 30 N., R. 10 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 04 minutes, 44 seconds N., Longitude 123 degrees, 59 minutes, 43 seconds W.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 30 to 45 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic moisture regime. The particle-size control section has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 20 to 30 inches and 50 to 90 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.80 to 0.90 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent for air dried samples and 20 to 30 percent for moist samples. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. Reaction is slightly or moderately acid. It has 5 to 10 percent organic matter.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly medial loam, extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, or very gravelly medial loam. Reaction is slightly or moderately acid. It has 1 to 5 percent organic matter.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3, 4, or 6 moist and 4 or 6 dry. It is extremely gravelly loamy sand, extremely gravelly sand, or extremely cobbly loamy sand. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ishmael soils are on glacial outwash terraces. Slopes are 1 to 5 percent. The soils formed in continental glacial outwash. Elevations are 900 to 1,200 feet. Average annual precipitation is 90 to 100 inches. Average annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is 160 to 180 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bogachiel, Nanich, and Solduc soils. All are on glacial outwash terraces. Bogachiel soils are sandy-skeletal and somewhat excessively drained. Nanich and Solduc soils have an isomesic temperature regime.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate over rapid permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Douglas-fir, salal, western swordfern, red huckleberry, and northern twinflower.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Clallam County, Washington; MLRA 1. Series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clallam County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are the following:

Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 3 to 31 inches
Andic soil properties - 3 to 31 inches
PSCS - 3 to 43 inches (from 3 to 31 inches it is medial-skeletal and ferrihydritic and from 31 to 43 inches it is sandy-skeletal). The thickest part is medial-skeletal.

All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.