LOCATION KICKINGHORSE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, isomesic Typic Udivitrands
TYPICAL PEDON: Kickinghorse extremely gravelly medial loam -forestland, on a 74 percent northerly aspect at an elevation of 1,470 feet in a western hemlock/swordfern-foamflower plant association. (When described on September 9, 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 fern fronds; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Oe--3 to 4 inches; moderately decomposed organic materials; abrupt smooth boundary. (0.5 to 1.5 inches thick)
A--4 to 10 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) 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, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 65 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--10 to 18 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) 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; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 55 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--18 to 28 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 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 common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--28 to 36 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 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; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 20 to 30 inches.)
BC--36 to 48 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) extremely cobbly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 25 percent gravel, 60 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
R--48 inches; fractured hard metasedimentary rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 5 1/3 miles northeast of the Snider Work Center, 615 feet west and 2,025 feet north of the southeast corner of Section 6, T. 30 N., R. 10 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 07 minutes, 22 seconds N., Longitude 124 degrees, 01 minutes, 54 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. The difference between the mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is 5 to 9 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 30 to 45 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic moisture regime. Depth to bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. The particle-size control section has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 25 to 35 inches and 40 to 90 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.70 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 value of 5 or 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. Reaction is very strongly or strongly acid. It has 5 to 10 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely gravelly medial loam, very gravelly medial loam, or extremely gravelly medial sandy loam. Reaction is strongly or moderately acid. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y moist and dry and value of 3 or 4 moist and 6 or 7 dry. It is extremely cobbly loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, or extremely gravelly sandy loam. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Ovington series. Ovington soils are moderately deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kickinghorse soils are on glaciated mountain slopes. Slopes are 40 to 80 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum from sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks. Elevations are 400 to 1,200 feet. Average annual precipitation is 75 to 130 inches. Average annual temperature is 46 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free season is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bonidu, Klahowya, and the competing Ovington soils. Bonidu soils are on glaciated mountain slopes are moderately well drained and have dense till at 40 to 60 inches. Klahowya soils are on ground moraines and have less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, Sitka spruce, western swordfern, red huckleberry, threeleaf foamflower, Oregon-grape, sweetscented bedstraw, Oregon oxalis, deerfoot vanillaleaf, and Pacific trillium.
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 - 10 to 48 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, Bw3, and BC subhorizons)
Andic soil properties - 4 to 36 inches
Lithic contact - 48 inches
PSCS - 4 to 44 inches (from 4 to 36 inches the control section is medial-skeletal and ferrihydritic and from 36 to 44 inches it is loamy-skeletal and isotic). The thickest part if medial-skeletal.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.