LOCATION MOSCOW WA+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Andic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Moscow ashy loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi and Oe--0 to 1.5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, loose, partially decomposed organic litter, including needles, leaves, twigs, bark cones, and grass; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--1.5 to 1.75 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy very fine sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; slightly acid (pH 6.1); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Bw1--1.75 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bw2--7 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very frable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many very fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary.
2BC--15 to 29 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common very fine irregular pores; few dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist, 2 to 6 mm wavy loam bands; 10 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
2Cr--29 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) granitic gruss, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; slightly acid (pH 6.1).
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; about 2 miles northwest of Clayton: 800 feet east and 100 feet south of the northwest corner of section 14. T.29N., R.41E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 47 degrees F.
Soil moisture - usually moist, but are 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice
Solum thickness 20 to 40 inches
Depth to paralithic contact - 20 to 40 inches
Volcanic ash influence - 7 to 14 inches
Estimated properties of ash influenced layer:
Moist bulk density - 0.65 to 0.95 g/cc
Volcanic glass content - 30 to 60 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al + Fe - 1.0 to 2.0 percent
15-bar water retention - 5 to 12 percent (air-dried)
Particle-size control section - 5 to 35 percent gravel
Soil reaction - slightly acid to strongly acid.
A horizon (when present)
Value - 5 to 8 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma - 1 to 3
Texture ashy silt loam, ashy very fine sandy loam.
Bw horizon
Hue - 10YR, 7.5YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4, moist and dry
Texture ashy silt loam, ashy loam
Gravel content - 0 to 15 percent
2BC horizon
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4
Texture - loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam
Fine gravel content - 5 to 35 percent
2C horizon (when present)
Hue - 10YR, 2.5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist or dry
Texture - sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, or gravelly coarse sandy loam
Coarse fragment content - 5 to 35 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bercumb (T), Moso, Osborn (T), Paige (T), Roslyn, Smith (T),and Volperie, series. Soils with a similar Andic or Vitrandic Haploxerepts classification are the Aits, Canteen, Leadpoint, and Waits series. Aits, Bercumb, Canteen, Moso, Roslyn, Smith, and Waits soils are very deep. Leadpoint soils are neutral or slightly alkaline and have 10 to 40 percent parachanners and 15 to 35 percent channers in the particle-size control section. Osborn soils have less than 5 percent hard rock fragments and average 20 to 50 percent sandstone parafragments in the particle-size control section. Volperie soils have 5 to 15 percent mica by weight in the fine-earth fraction, 5 to 20 percent quartz gravel and 30 to 60 percent phyllite and schist parafragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moscow soils are on foot slopes, back slopes, and ridges of mountains at elevations of 2,200 to 5,000 feet. At higher elevations they are on south aspects. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from granite, gneiss, and schist with a mantle of loess and volcanic ash. They are in a climate having relatively warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 18 to 30 inches. The average January temperature is about 28 degrees F. and the average July temperature is about 60 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 42 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is 80 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bernhill, Bestrom, Donavan, Mobate, Narcisse, Peone, Spokane, Skanid, and Waits soils, and the competing Canteen, Centralpeak, and Moso soils. Bernhill, Donavan, Narcisse, Peone, and Waits soils are more than 60 inches deep. Bestrom soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact with basalt. Mobate and Skanid soils are 10 to 20 inches deep to a paralithic contact with granite. Spokane soils have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and watershed; some is cleared and used for hay and pasture. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, grand fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, western white pine, Rocky Mountain maple, birch, western larch, alder, rose, Oregon-grape, kinnikinnick, creambush oceanspray, pachystima, pinegrass, snowbrush ceanothus, common snowberry, and strawberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington and northern Idaho; MLRA 43. Series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, 1913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon the zone from 1.5 to 1.75 inches(Mt. St. Helens 'T' or 'W' volcanic ash)
Cambic horizon the zone from 1.75 inch to 15 inches
Particle-size control section the zone from 10 to 28 inches
Andic feature the zone from 1.5 to 15 inches
The type location for the series was moved to Stevens County, Washington due to the largest acreage extent. Based on extensive re-evaluation within the Spokane County update soil survey, the Moscow series concept has not be recognized.
The vegetation listed within the OSD appears to vary from those species found in xeric to udic soil moisture regimes. More investigation is needed as to the modal soil moisture concept and characteristic vegetation.