LOCATION KALEETAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Typic Haplohumods
TYPICAL PEDON: Kaleetan sandy loam - on an east facing 18 percent slope under coniferous forest at 1,600 feet
elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
O1--4 to 3 inches; needles, mosses and twigs. (1 to 3 inches thick)
O2--3 inches to 0; dark reddish brown (5YR 2.5/2) highly decomposed forest litter. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--0 to 1.5 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) loamy sand (volcanic ash and pumice), pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) dry;
weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, medium and
coarse roots; 5 percent subangular pebbles; NaF pH less than 9.2; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); abrupt wavy
boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
Bhs--1.5 to 4 inches; variegated dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, 70 percent) and yellowish red (5YR 5/6, 30
percent) light sandy loam (volcanic ash and pumice) reddish brown (5YR 4/4, 70 percent), and reddish yellow
(7.5YR 6/6, 30 percent), dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky,
nonplastic; nonsmeary; common fine and medium roots; 5 percent subangular pebbles; NaF pH 11.5; very strongly
acid (pH 5.0); abrupt broken boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bs1--4 to 9 inches; variegated dark brown (7.5YR 4/4, 70 percent)
and yellowish red (5YR 5/8, 30 percent)
gravelly light sandy loam (volcanic ash), reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6, 70 percent) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8,
30 percent) dry, weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; weakly
smeary; common fine and medium roots; 20 percent subangular pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0+;
strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary (5 to 10 inches thick)
2Bs2--9 to 23 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry, yellowish
red (5YR 5/8) stains on rock fragments; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable,
slightly sticky, slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine and medium roots; 35 percent subangular pebbles on
15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0+; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
2BC--23 to 35 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4)
dry yellowish red (5YR 5/8) stains on rock fragments; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly
hard, friable, slightly stick, slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine roots; 45 percent subangular pebbles
and 15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0+; strongly acid (pH 5.4) clear smooth boundary. (11 to 15 inches thick)
2C1--35 to 56 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry;
massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine roots; 45 percent
subangular pebbles and 15 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0+; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to
21 inches thick)
2C2--56 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4)
dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; weakly smeary; 60 percent subangular
pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0+; moderately acid (pH 5.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Snoqualmie Pass Area, King County, Washington; 200 feet east of Cedar River Watershed Road No.
100-300; 800 feet east, 2,200 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 26, T. 22 N., R. 9 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Some pedons have dense glacial till at
40 to 60 inches. Rock fragments in the particle-size control section range from 35 to 60 percent by volume.
Average annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 46 degrees F.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 through 6 moist, 5 through 8 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist
or dry.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR moist or dry and is variegated.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR moist or dry and is variegated. Texture is gravelly sandy loam or
gravelly loam. Rock fragments range from 15 to 30 percent by volume.
The 2Bs and 2BC horizons have hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4
through 6 moist or dry. Texture is very gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly loam. Rock fragments range from
35 to 60 percent by volume. It is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist or dry.
It is very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loamy sand, extremely gravelly sandy loam or extremely gravelly
loamy sand. Rock fragments range from 50 to 80 percent by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Melakwa series and the similar
Cupples,
Danforth,
Littlejohn,
Oakes,
Olomount,
Philippa,
Pitcher,
Rinker,
Sorensen, and
Winnecook soils. All of these soils except Melakwa soils have a ratio
of free iron to organic carbon of more than 0.2. Melakwa soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kaleetan soils are on mountain slopes at elevations of 1,600 to 2,800 feet. Slopes range
from 8 to 65 percent. The Kaleetan soils formed in volcanic ash and pumice mixed with colluvium from andesite,
breccia, or till. The climate is marine influenced with relatively cool, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
Average annual precipitation ranges from 90 to 130 inches. The mean January temperature is about 30 degrees F,
mean July temperature is about 60 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 44 degrees F. The
frost-free season is 130 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Blethen,
Nagrom,
Marblemount,
Playco,
Teneriffe, and the
competing
Melakwa and
Philippa soils. Blethen soils are mesic. Marblemount soils are sandy-skeletal and
moderately deep to a lithic contact. Nagrom and Playco soils are cryic. Teneriffe soils are sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained except the till substratum phase is moderately well drained, moderate
permeability, slow to medium runoff. Pedons underlain by dense glacial till have a perched water table at a
depth of 3 to 5 feet at times from November through March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is Douglas-fir,
western hemlock, western redcedar and red alder with an understory of salal, Oregon-grape, western swordfern,
red huckleberry, deer fern, Pacific trillium, vine maple, longtube twinflower, and western brackenfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western slopes of the Cascade Mountains, in west central Washington. Series is of
moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Snoqualmie Pass Area, King County, Washington, 1986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral
surface to 1.5 inches and a spodic horizon from 1.5 to 2.3 inches. The upper part (4 to 9 inches) is formed in
volcanic ash and based on data from the Altapeak, Index, and Klapatche series is assumed to have a ratio of
free iron to organic carbon of less than 0.2 and more than 0.6 percent organic carbon in the upper 12 inches of
the spodic horizon.