LOCATION LAUGHINGWATER WA
Established Series
IRD. TMR/MPR
07/2017
LAUGHINGWATER SERIES
Landscape--Cascade Mountains
Landform--swales, terraces, debris aprons, glacial valley walls
Slope--0 to 35 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash over glacial till and colluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 2000 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--moderately well drained
Soil moisture regime--udic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--aquic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, amorphic Aquandic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Laughingwater ashy sandy loam on a south-facing, 20-percent slope of a forested debris apron at an elevation of 780 m (When described on June 5, 2013, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oi--0 to 3 cm; slightly decomposed plant material from deciduous shrubs, conifer needles, and twigs; few very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.5); abrupt wavy boundary
E1--3 to 10 cm; ashy sandy loam, gray (7.5YR 5/1) dry, very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt irregular boundary
E2--10 to 20 cm; ashy loamy sand, gray (7.5YR 6/1) dry, dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt irregular boundary
Bs1--20 to 32 cm; ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine to medium and few coarse and very coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pumice paragravel; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear irregular boundary
Bs2--32 to 56 cm; paragravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 15 percent pumice paragravel and 5 percent andesite gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear irregular boundary
Bs3--56 to 76 cm; paragravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 20 percent pumice paragravel and 5 percent andesite gravel; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear irregular boundary
2Bg1--76 to 120 cm; gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to medium roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent fine irregular very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 30 percent medium irregular strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; 25 percent andesite gravel and 5 percent andesite cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear wavy boundary
2Bg2--120 to 150 cm; very gravelly ashy sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine irregular dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 25 percent medium irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; 30 percent andesite gravel and 10 percent andesite cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.9)
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, Washington, south of Olallie Creek, between the Cowlitz Divide Trail and the Ohanapecosh River, about 4 km north of the Ohanapecosh Ranger Station in Mount Rainier National Park; about 90 m south and 755 m east of the northwest corner of section 28, T. 15 N., R. 10 E., Willamette Meridian; Chinook Pass, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle; latitude 46.768061 degrees north, longitude -121.561539 degrees west, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--4 to 8 degrees C
Soil moisture control section--dry less than 45 consecutive days in June through October
Depth to lithologic discontinuity--70 to 90 cm
Depth to redoximorphic iron depletions--50 to 75 cm below the mineral soil surface
Pararock and rock fragments--pumice paragravel typically in upper part of profile, andesite gravel and cobbles may be in lower part
All mineral horizons
*Volcanic glass content--50 to 75 percent
*Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--greater than 0.5 percent
*Reaction--5.0 to 6.0
*Organic carbon content--less than 6 percent
Particle-size control section
*Clay content--1 to 10 percent
*Rock fragment content--5 to 35 percent total
O horizon
*In lieu of texture--slightly decomposed plant material, moderately decomposed plant material
*Thickness--5 to 10 cm
E horizon
*Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
*Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
*Chroma--1 or 2 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loamy sand
*Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent pumice paragravel
*Combined thickness--10 to 20 cm
Bs1 horizon
*Hue--7.5YR, 5YR, 10YR
*Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, ashy fine sandy loam
*Pararock fragment content--0 to 25 percent pumice paragravel
*Thickness--10 to 20 cm
Bs2 and Bs3 horizons
*Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
*Value--3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy loamy sand, ashy fine sandy loam
*Pararock and rock fragment content--5 to 35 percent total, including 0 to 25 percent pumice paragravel and 0 to 10 percent gravel
*Combined thickness--30 to 60 cm
2Bg1 horizon
*Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
*Value--3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy coarse sandy loam, ashy loam
*Rock fragment content--5 to 35 percent total, including 5 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles
*Thickness--25 to 40 cm
2Bg2 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--3 to 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--ashy sandy loam, ashy coarse sandy loam, ashy loam
*Rock fragment content--15 to 45 percent total, including 15 to 35 percent gravel, 0 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--650 to 1500 m
Climate--cool, dry summers; cold, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1600 to 2700 mm
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 7 degrees C
Frost-free period--60 to 90 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Ohanapecosh--no aquic conditions; lithic contact within 50 cm of the soil surface (shallow); on landforms with steeper slopes and Rock outcrop near surface
Arahustan--no aquic conditions; lithic contact within 100 cm of the soil surface (moderately deep); on landforms with steeper slopes and Rock outcrop near surface
Longmire--no aquic conditions; on steeper hillslopes
Vantrump--aquic conditions with an upper limit of 25 cm from the soil surface; on gentler sloping similar landforms that receive runoff from upslope areas
Summerland--umbric epipedon; no albic horizon; associated with deciduous forests in active avalanche paths
Frogheaven--aquic conditions within 25 cm of the soil surface; in depressions and swales with prolonged periods of saturation
Ghost--formed in organic material; in closed depressions with prolonged periods of saturation
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--moderately well drained
Saturation in normal years--below 50 to 100 cm in December through June, below 100 to 180 cm in July through October
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high or very high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--Pacific silver fir, noble fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, vine maple, black huckleberry, red huckleberry, bunchberry dogwood, vanillaleaf, western prince's pine, pachistima, Oregon wintergreen, beargrass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cascade Mountains, Washington; MLRA 3; moderate extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington; 2014; name from Laughingwater Creek in Mount Rainier National Park
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 103 cm
*Ochric epipedon
*Albic horizon--zone from 3 to 20 cm
*Spodic horizon--zone from 20 to 76 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from 3 to 150 cm
*Redoximorphic iron depletions with chroma of 2 or less--zone from 76 to 150 cm
*Redoximorphic iron concentrations--zone from 76 to 150 cm
*Depth to lithologic discontinuity--76 cm
*Distinguishable tephra layers--Mount St. Helens Wn tephra (E horizons), Mount Rainier C tephra (Bs1 horizon), Mount St. Helens Yn tephra (Bs2 horizon), Mount Rainier F tephra (Bs3 horizon)
3/2017--This official series description was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015). Most of the changes were in formatting; no major technical changes were made.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.