LOCATION NICKLUND WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Andic Oxyaquic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Nicklund very gravelly medial sandy loam - forestland, on a 15 percent east-facing slope at an elevation of 1,540 feet in a western hemlock/salal-western swordfern plant association. (When described on June 2, 1993, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, and other wood fragments; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 2.5 inches thick)
A--2 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine granular and weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many medium and coarse and common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 15 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many medium and coarse and common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--15 to 20 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many coarse and common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 50 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 10 to 20 inches.)
BC1--20 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many coarse and common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary.
BC2--26 to 34 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly medial sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; few very fine, fine, and coarse roots; few very fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the BC horizon is 5 to 15 inches.)
Cd--34 to 62 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) very gravelly loamy sand, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; massive; very hard, brittle, nonsticky and nonplastic; 40 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 1 mile west of Lords Lake, about 1,110 feet west and 400 feet north of the southeast corner of section 29, T. 28 N., R. 2 W. (Latitude 47 degrees, 53 minutes, 01 seconds N., Longitude 122 degrees, 57 minutes, 12 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry in the soil moisture control section for 30 to 45 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Depth to dense glacial till is 20 to 40 inches. There is a perched water table above the dense till substratum for over 30 cumulative days (Oxyaquic). The solum has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.90 to 1.00 g/cc and an acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 1 to 3 percent. The particle-size control section has 35 to 70 percent rock fragments by volume. Base saturation by ammonium acetate is 35 to 50 percent throughout the solum.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and chroma of 2 or 4 moist and 3 or 4 dry. It has 4 to 7 percent organic matter.
The Bw and BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and 10YR or 2.5Y dry, value of 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and 4 or 6 dry. It is very gravelly medial sandy loam, very gravelly medial loam, or extremely gravelly medial sandy loam. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid. It has 8 to 18 percent clay. It has 2 to 5 percent organic matter.
The Cd horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y moist, value of 3 or 4 moist and 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry. It is very gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly sandy loam, or extremely gravelly loamy sand. Moist bulk density if 1.50 to 2.00 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aschoff, Damewood, Hava, Hoodview, Indianpass, Ketland, Nordby and Sahalie series. Aschoff and Sahalie soils are deep and very deep to bedrock. Damewood and Indianpass soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Hava and Ketlund soils are deep to dense till. Hoodview and Nordby soils are very deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Nicklund soils are on glacial moraines. Slopes are 5 to 60 percent. The soils formed in continental glacial till. Elevations are 600 to 1,900 feet. Average annual precipitation is 35 to 60 inches. Average annual temperature is 45 to 51 degrees F. and frost-free season is 170 to 200 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Rockybrook soil. Rockybrook soils are on glacial moraines and have a frigid soil temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the Cd horizon and slow permeability in the dense glacial till. In most years, a seasonal water table is perched above the dense glacial till from November through March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, salal, western swordfern, Oregon-grape, Pacific rhododendron, and threeleaf foamflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Clallam and Jefferson Counties, Washington; MLRA 1. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clallam County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 8 to 34 inches (Bw1, Bw2, BC1 and BC2 horizons)
Andic subgroup properties - 2 to 34 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, BC1 and BC2 horizons)
Compacted glacial till - 34 to 62 inches (Cd horizon)
Particle-size control section - 12 to 34 inches (Bw1, Bw2, BC1 and BC2 horizons)
Udic soil moisture regime
Oxyaquic subgroup criteria is also met.
All depths to diagnostic horizon and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Type location NSSL Data S93WA-009-005.