LOCATION OXERINE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Oxerine gravelly ashy loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed litter of needles, twigs, and grass.
A--1 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) gravelly ashy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 10 percent gravel, 5 percent flagstones; common fine charcoal fragments; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 11 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly ashy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 20 percent gravel, 10 percent flagstones; common fine charcoal fragments; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
2Bw2--11 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely gravelly loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 50 percent gravel, 10 percent flagstones; few fine charcoal fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 19 inches thick)
2C--20 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) extremely flaggy sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; massive; hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common medium roots; few fine tubular pores; 70 percent flagstones and stones, 15 percent gravel; few fine charcoal fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2R--25 inches; gneiss.
TYPE LOCATION: Ferry County, Washington; on crest of ridge at bend in forest road as it heads north; NW1/4 SE1/4 section 25, T.37N., R.36E. W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 46 degrees F. The volcanic ash mantle is 7 to 14 inches thick, has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.65 to 0.85 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 12 percent for air dried samples. Depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Typically, these soils are neutral or slightly acid. Reaction of the calcareous substratum phase is neutral to slightly alkaline in the solum and slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the substratum.
The A horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry or moist. It is ashy fine sandy loam, ashy silt loam or ashy loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It is ashy silt loam, ashy fine sandy loam, gravelly ashy loam, gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, channery ashy loam, or channery ashy silt loam. It averages 5 to 30 percent rock fragments, with 5 to 25 percent channers, 0 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent flagstones and 0 to 5 percent stones.
The 2Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry or moist. It is very channery loam, very gravelly loam, very flaggy loam, extremely gravelly loam, or very cobbly loam. Soils with a calcareous substratum are loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam, and are very gravelly, extremely gravelly, or very stony. It averages 35 to 60 percent rock fragments, with 0 to 45 percent channers, 0 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent flagstones, 5 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 10 percent stones. The 2Bw horizon is absent in some pedons.
The 2C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry or moist. It is sandy loam or loam and is channery, very flaggy, extremely flaggy, very gravelly, very cobbly, extremely gravelly or extremely cobbly. Soils with a calcareous substratum are fine sandy loam or loamy sand and are very gravelly or extremely gravelly. It averages 35 to 85 percent rock fragments, with 0 to 45 percent channery, 0 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 70 percent flagstones, 0 to 35 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Avonville, Bigcow, Hondu, Inkler, Juandefuca, McCree, Newhorn, Piutespring, Redriver, Tunnelcreek, Veridge, Wilma, and Wonder series. Avonville, Hondu, Inkler, and Juandefuca soils are very deep. Bigcow soils are deep and very deep. McCree soils are 40 to 60 inches to a lithic contact. Newhorn soils are 20 to 40 inches to a densic contact. Piutespring and Wonder soils are dry for 45 to 60 days following the summer solstice. Redriver soils are dry for 90 consecutive days. Veridge soils have less than 10 percent clay in the particle-size control and have 35 to 55 percent sedimentary rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Wilma soils have 35 to 65 percent granitic rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Oxerine soils are on footslopes, backslopes, shoulders, and ridges of mountains at elevations of 2,000 to 6,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. They formed in residuum and colluvium from schist, graywacke, phylitte, and quartzite, with a mantle of volcanic ash; some with minor amounts of glacial till. Oxerine soils formed from limestone and dolomite are mapped as a calcareous substratum phase. The mean annual precipitation is 18 to 33 inches. Mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.; and the frost free season is 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Apex, Cobey, Edds, Elbowlake, Henneway, Merkel, Pepoon, Raisio, Rufus, Wellscreek, and Wilmont soils and the competing Hartill soils. Apex, Cobey, Edds, Elbowlake, Henneway, Merkel, Wellscreek, and Wilmont soils are more than 40 inches deep. Apex, Elbowlake, Wellscreek, and Wilmont soils are on toeslopes, footslopes, and backslopes of mountains. Cobey and Hartill soils are on foothills and mountains. Edds soils are on plains and mountains slopes. Henneway soils are on toeslopes and footslopes of foothills and mountains. Merkel soils are on mountains. Pepoon soils have bedrock at less than 20 inches and are on glacially abraded mountain ridges, knolls, peaks and saddles. Raisio and Rufus soils are mesic and in addition Rufus soils are 10 to 20 inches deep to bedrock. Raisio and Rufus soils are on generally south-facing footslopes, sideslopes and ridgetops of mountains
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability in the Bw and 2Bw horizons and moderately rapid to rapid in the 2C horizons.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, watershed, grazing, and recreation are the principal uses. Native plants are Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, western larch, creambush oceanspray, pinegrass, common snowberry, lewis mockorange, ceanothus, and mallow ninebark.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. MLRA 43A, 6. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ferry County, Washington, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Oi and A horizons)
Cambic horizon formed in volcanic ash from 5 to 11 inches (Bw horizon), a cambic horizon from 11 to 20 inches (2Bw2 horizon) formed in residuum and colluvium
Particle-size control section - the zone from 11 to 25 inches (the 2Bw2 and 2C horizons)
Lithic contact at 25 inches (2R horizon)