LOCATION ORTING WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Orting loam, cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap1--0 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) when dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent gravel; medium acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
Ap2--7 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) when dry; moderate, coarse, subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 5 percent gravel; medium acid (pH 5.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
B2--12 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) gravelly coarse sandy clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) when dry; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common very fine pores; strong organic staining in former root channels; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
C1g--24 to 61 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) when dry; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine and few fine and medium pores; thick deposits of clay and/or silt in fine and medium pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (34 to 40 inches thick)
C2g--61 to 69 inches; dark gray (n 4/) gravelly coarse sandy clay loam, gray (10YR 6/1) when dry; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Pierce County, Washington; 1,200 feet west and 1,200 feet north of the SE corner section 24, T.19N., R.4E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 49 to 52 degrees F. The 10 to 40 inch control section averages 15 to 25 percent coarse fragments, 25 to 34 percent clay and more than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand. The soil is medium to slightly acid.
The A horizon has moist value and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam or sandy loam. The B horizon has moist value and chroma of 3 or 4. It contains distinct or prominent yellowish brown, strong brown, or yellowish red mottles.
The C horizon has moist chroma of 2 or 3 and has distinct or prominent yellowish red or strong brown mottles. Boulders, stones, and cobbles are common.
COMPETING SERIES AND THEIR DIFFERENTIAE: These are the Cold Springs (T) and Labounty soils. Cold Springs have a Cca horizon. Labounty soils have less than 5 percent coarse rock fragments and developed from clayey glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Orting soils developed in the Electron mudflow. These soils are on nearly level plains slightly higher than floodplains. Elevation ranges from 100 to about 600 feet. The mean annual precipitation is 35 to 50 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. and the mean annual growing season is about 165 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Pilchuck and Puyallup soils. These soils contain less than 18 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; very slow runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for production of small grain, hay, pasture, strawberries, cane berries, and bulbs. Native vegetation is Douglas fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, red alder, and an understory of salal, Oregon grape, and ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eastern Puget Sound Basin, Washington, 1943.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Estimated percent of volcanic glass to be >5.O and percent by ammonium-oxalate extract to be >0.4 in the 0 to 12 inch A horizon. The Orting soils were formerly classified as Humic Gley soils. The description of the Labounty series is old (1944) and inadequate for satisfactory differentiation.