LOCATION KUSSHI                  WA

Established Series
Rev. TJJ/KDPL/SBC
09/2019

KUSSHI SERIES

Landscape--canyonlands, plateaus
Landform--canyon slopes, ridges
Slope--12 to 60 percent
Parent material--basalt colluvium mixed with some loess
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 560 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 9 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Kusshi fine sandy loam in an area of grazeable woodland that supports Oregon white oak and scattered ponderosa pine, on a 50-percent, east-facing hillslope at an elevation of 910 m

Oi1--0 to 2 cm; oak leaves over a thin layer of volcanic ash

Oi2--2 to 5 cm; slightly decomposed oak leaves

A1--5 to 15 cm; fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary

A2--15 to 25 cm; gravelly silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary

BAt--25 to 41 cm; gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; few thin clay films in pores; common colloidal staining; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary

Bt1--41 to 64 cm; very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; few moderately thick clay films in pores and common thin clay films on ped faces; 40 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.7); gradual wavy boundary

Bt2--64 to 107 cm; extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; many very fine pores; common moderately thick clay films on ped faces; 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary

Bt3--107 to 157 cm; extremely gravelly loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many very fine pores; common moderately thick clay films in pores; 60 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5)

TYPE LOCATION: Yakama Nation, Yakima County, Washington, about 16 km northeast of White Swan; in the NE1/4SW1/4NE1/4NE1/4 of section 3, T, 11 N., R. 15 E.; latitude 46.4751420, longitude -120.9267890, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from section, township, and range)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section--usually moist, but dry 75 to 90 consecutive days following summer solstice
Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm--8 to 10 degrees C
Depth to bedrock (basalt)--more than 150 cm
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 50 cm
Clay content in particle-size control section--18 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content in particle-size control section--35 to 80 percent
Percentage of surface covered with stones--0.1 to 3.0 percent
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3

Oi horizon
Combined thickness--0 to 10 cm

A horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture of fine-earth fraction--fine sandy loam, silt loam, loam
Gravel content--5 to 35 percent
Cobble content--0 to 35 percent
Combined thickness--20 to 64 cm

BAt horizon
Thickness--15 to 46 cm

Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Organic matter content--less than 1 percent
Texture of fine-earth fraction--loam, clay loam
Gravel content--35 to 65 percent
Cobble content--5 to 45 percent
Combined thickness--61 to 127 cm

COMPETING SERIES:
Baboon--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (igneous rock); pH of 7.4 to 8.4 in argillic horizon
Badge--pH of 7.4 to 7.8 in Bt horizon; dry 90 to 150 days
Collard--argillic horizon 23 cm thick; very cobbly loamy sand in lower part of profile
Dixiejett--100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact (basalt); base of argillic horizon at a depth of 65 to 100 cm
Goodnoe--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (basalt); dry 90 to 105 days
Hooverton, Whitinger--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (basalt)
Phys--argillic horizon 10 to 20 cm thick
Ridd--50 to 100 cm (moderately deep) to a lithic contact (gneiss, schist)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--530 to 1225 m
Climate--semiarid; warm, dry summers; cool winters
Mean annual precipitation--460 to 560 mm
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 9 degrees C
Frost-free season--100 to 140 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Lyville--no argillic horizon
McDaniel--mollic epipedon 50 to 100 cm thick
Rockly--10 to 30 cm (very shallow, shallow) to a lithic contact (basalt)

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--livestock grazing
Vegetation--Oregon white oak, antelope bitterbrush, common snowberry, arrowleaf balsamroot, lupine, yarrow, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, widely scattered ponderosa pine

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Washington; MLRA 6; small extent

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yakama Nation, Yakima County, Washington; 2014

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in the pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from 5 to 41 cm
*Argillic horizon--25 to 157 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 25 to 75 cm

Kusshi is the name of a canyon and creek in the Satus watershed. It is a possible spelling of k'usi, the Yakama word for horse.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.