LOCATION NCHITAAK WA
Established Series
Rev. AVK/SBC/KDPL
09/2019
NCHITAAK SERIES
Landscape--mountains, plateaus, canyonlands
Landform--mountain slopes, structural benches, canyons
Slope--0 to 60 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash over mixed volcanic ash and colluvium and residuum derived from basalt
Mean annual precipitation--about 1000 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 6 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--frigid
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, mixed over isotic, frigid Alfic Humic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Nchitaak ashy sandy loam in an area of forestland, on a 6-percent, southwest-facing slope of a bench at an elevation of 1300 m (All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 5 cm; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, cones, and grass
A--5 to 38 cm; ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine, fine, and medium and few coarse roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8), NaF pH 11.0; abrupt smooth boundary
Bw--38 to 74 cm; very stony ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many medium and coarse, common fine, and few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles, and 25 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8), NaF pH 10.5; clear smooth boundary
2Bt1--74 to 94 cm; very stony loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium and coarse roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 5 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, and 30 percent stones; neutral (pH 6.8), NaF pH 10.5; clear smooth boundary
2Bt2--94 to 160 cm; cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 10 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, and 20 percent paragravel; neutral (pH 6.6), NaF pH 10.0
TYPE LOCATION: Yakama Nation, Yakima County, Washington, about 1.5 km southwest of Polo Fields; about 60 m south and 240 m east of the northwest corner of section 16, T. 9 N., R. 13 E.; latitude 46.272007, longitude -121.205915, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from section, township, and range)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm--6 to 7 degrees C
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry in all parts 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice
Thickness of umbric epipedon--25 to 35 cm
Thickness of volcanic ash mantle--65 to 90 cm
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent in upper part of volcanic ash mantle, 35 to 55 percent in lower part (argillic horizon)
Properties of ash mantle
*Moist bulk density--0.75 to 0.9 g/cm3
*Glass content--5 to 30 percent
*Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half iron--2 to 3 percent
*15-bar water retention (air-dried samples)--5 to 12 percent
Oi horizon
Thickness--0 to 8 cm
A horizon
Hue 7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Thickness--15 to 33 cm
Bw horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry or moist
Clay content--5 to 15 percent
Rock fragment content--35 to 55 percent
Thickness--15 to 56 cm
2Bt horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture of fine-earth fraction--loam, sandy loam
Clay content--8 to 27 percent
Rock fragment content--35 to 55 percent
Pararock fragment content--0 to 40 percent
Combined thickness--43 to 135 cm
COMPETING SERIES: None
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--610 to 1475 m
Climate--warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--760 to 1300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 7 degrees C
Frost-free season--70 to 125 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Nank--on mountain benches, plateaus, and side slopes; ashy over loamy particle-size class
Kakyawala--on mountain benches and side slopes; ash mantle more than 100 cm thick
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--timber production, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, recreation
Native vegetation--ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, grand fir, western larch, pinegrass, prince's pine, California hazel
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of Cascade Mountains in 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 this pedon
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 5 to 38 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from 5 to 74 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 74 to 160 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 5 to 107 cm
Nch'i is the Yakama word for big, and taak is the Yakama word for meadow. The type location for this series is about 1.5 km southwest of a meadow area in Yakama Nation referred to as Polo Fields. This series originally was named the Fishway series in 2004.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.