LOCATION KULSHAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, ferrihydritic Andic Humicryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Kulshan loam - on a 50 percent southwest-facing convex slope in a clearcut at 4,000 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures)
Oi--7 to 2 inches; undecomposed needles, twigs, bark, leaves, moss.
Oa--2 inches to 0; decomposed needles, twigs, and leaves; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots.
E--0 to 3 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent pebbles; NaF pH 9.0; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bhs1--3 to 8 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) dry; black (5YR 2/1) stains on 60 percent of soil matrix, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent unweathered pebbles and 10 percent weathered pebbles; NaF pH 11.0; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear irregular boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bhs2--8 to 14 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) gravelly loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry, very dusky red (2.5YR 2/2) organic stains on ped faces, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 15 percent unweathered pebbles, 10 percent weathered pebbles, and 5 percent unweathered cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 inches thick)
Bs1--14 to 23 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) cobbly fine sandy loam, reddish yellow (2.5YR 6/6) dry, weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent unweathered pebbles, 25 percent weathered pebbles, and 10 percent weathered cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; strongly acid (pH 5.4), clear smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bs2--23 to 30 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) gravelly loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent unweathered pebbles, 20 percent weathered pebbles, and 10 percent unweathered cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2R--30 inches; sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom county, Washington, about 7 miles SW of Glacier; 1,500 feet south and 2,500 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 33, T. 39 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 43 degrees F. Depth to a lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. By weighted average the control section has 5 to 25 percent unweathered pebbles, 15 to 35 percent weathered pebbles and 0 to 10 percent unweathered cobbles.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 through 8 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist, 1 or 2 dry. It has 0 to 10 percent unweathered and 0 to 15 percent weathered pebbles. Reaction is extremely acid to very strongly acid.
The Bhs has hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 3 through 5 dry, and chroma of 2 through 6 moist and dry. It has 5 to 15 percent unweathered and 10 to 20 percent weathered coarse fragments. It is loam, silt loam, or gravelly loam. Reaction is extremely acid through strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 3 through 5 moist, 4 through 6 dry, and chroma of 2 through 6 moist and dry. It has 15 to 35 percent unweathered coarse fragments and 15 to 35 percent weathered coarse fragments. It is gravelly loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or cobbly loam. It is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
Some pedons have a C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Toheen, Ullova, and Vixen series and the similar Diobsud, Gallup, Hartnit, and Potchub series. These soils lack weathered coarse fragments in the particle size control section. In addition, Diobsud and Potchub have a paralithic contact with dense glacial till at 20 to 40 inches and Gallup, Vixen, and Ullola soils are more than 40 inches deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kulshan soils are on glacially modified mountain backslopes and ridges at elevations of 3,500 to 5,000 feet. Slopes are 5 to 80 percent. The soils formed in volcanic ash, loess, and colluvium and slope alluvium from sandstone and metasedimentary rocks. Kulshan soils are in a cold marine climate with cool dry summers and cold wet winters. Snow cover lasts from late October through early June. Mean annual precipitation is 90 to 110 inches. Mean January temperature is about 27 degrees F.; mean July temperature is about 56 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to 95 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gallup, Saar and Shuksan soils and the competing Potchub soils. Gallup soils are very deep. Saar and Shuksan soils are loamy-skeletal and are moderately deep to a paralithic contact with dense compact glacial till.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed, and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, and mountain hemlock, with an undergrowth of blue-leaved huckleberry, bunchberry dogwood, and longtube twinflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the Cascade Mountains in northern Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whatcom county, Washington, 1983.
REMARKS: Partial laboratory data are available on this series, NSSL #80T7274-7276. Data supports classification. This draft reflects a change in classification from medial Humic Cryorthods to coarse-loamy, mixed Humic Cryorthods. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 2 inches, a spodic horizon from 2 to 14 inches with 8.50 to 9.25 percent organic carbon in the upper 11 inches, and a lithic contact at 30 inches.