LOCATION MCCUE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Mollic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: McCue silt loam- fallow cropland, on a 10 percent northwest-facing slope at an elevation of 2,700 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
2Bt1--7 to 13 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; hard, very firm, moderately sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many prominent clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; common distinct organic matter stains on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--13 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; common distinct organic matter stains on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); gradual wavy boundary.
2Bt3--22 to 42 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular and few very fine irregular pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 35 to 50 inches)
3Bqm--42 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moderately cemented duripan, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; common faint clay films on pan surface; common distinct discontineous black (2.5Y 2.5/1) manganese stains and many medium very hard cicada casts throughout the horizon; neutral (pH 7.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington; approximately 1.5 miles southwest of Waterville; about 1,050 feet west and 75 feet south of the northeast corner of section 32, T. 25 N. R. 22 E. (Latitude 47 degrees 37' 37"N, Longitude 120 degrees 05' 45"W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average annual soil temperature is 49 to 51 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The surface horizon has 1 percent or more organic matter to a depth of 4 to 7 inches. The particle-size control section averages 35 to 40 percent clay but the 2Bt1 horizon may have 35 to 50 percent clay. There is 0 to 3 percent gravel in the profile above the duripan. Depth to secondary carbonates, if present, is 42 or more inches. Depth to the duripan is 40 to 60 inches and depth to bedrock is 60 or more inches. Depth to the 2Bt horizon is 4 to 7 inches.
The Ap horizon chroma is 2 or 3 dry or moist. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral. Base saturation is 70 to 90 percent.
The 2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons have value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Base saturation is 75 to 90 percent. Organic matter content is 0.3 to 1.0 percent.
The 2Bt3 horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline. Base saturation is 75 to 90 percent.
The 3Bqm horizon has value of 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 4 or 6 dry or moist. Cementation is weak or moderate.
COMPETING SERIES: McCue series is the only series in this family. Garfield series is in a similar family and Garfield soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: McCue soils are on shoulders, backslopes and on eroded summits of nonglaciated plateaus. Elevation is 2,500 to 3,100 feet. McCue soils formed in recent and older loess. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 12 to 15 inches. Average January temperature is about 26 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 70 degrees F.; and average annual temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F. Frost-free season is 110 to 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Badgermont, Broadax, Hanning, Mondovi, and Van Nostern soils. Badgermont soils are in drainageways on piedmont slopes and are loamy-skeletal. Broadax soils are on hills, are fine-silty, and have a mollic epipedon. Hanning soils are on uplands, are fine-silty and have a pachic mollic epipedon. Mondovi soils are on flood plains of intermittent streams and lack argillic horizons. Van Nostern soils are on plateaus, are fine-silty, and are moderately deep to basalt bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability above the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: McCue soils are primarily used for wheat and barley production. Small areas are used for livestock grazing or wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is mainly threetip sagebrush, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are a ochric epipedon from the surface to 7 inches, an argillic horizon from 7 to 42 inches and a duripan at 42 inches. The particle-size control section is the zone from 7 to 27 inches (2Bt1, 2Bt2 and part of the 2Bt3 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial NSSL data is available on this pedon #S89WA-017-119.