LOCATION PAUSANT WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Lamellic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Pausant fine sandy loam - forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; roots, leaves, and twigs.
A--1 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 13 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; very weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; mat of fine roots at lower boundary; moderately acid (pH 5.9); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
E1--13 to 16 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots, with root mat at lower boundary; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
E2--16 to 36 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; very few discontinuous, thin, wavy brown iron bands in upper part of horizon; few fine pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
E and Bt--36 to 53 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; 2 dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist light sandy clay loam lamellae 1 to 2 inches thick, about 6 inches apart; several wavy 1/8 to 1/16 inch brown sandy clay loam lamellae in upper part of horizon; main mass neutral (pH 6.6); bands are moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bt--53 to 56 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; faint clay films in pores; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
2E3--56 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) clay, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; moderate medium and thin platy structure; hard, firm, very sticky, moderately plastic; some reddish brown stains; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
3E and Bt1--60 to 64 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sand, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; massive; matrix is very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; many wavy pale brown (10YR 6/3) and yellowish red (5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam bands, brown (10YR 5/3) and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist, 1/16 to 3/4 inches thick; bands are slightly sticky and slightly plastic, and have blocky structure; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
3E and Bt2--64 to 90 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) fine sand, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; massive; slightly hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam bands, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong medium platy structure, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary.
4C--90 to 96 inches; iron stained sand and gravel; few stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Ferry County, Washington; on terrace just above and south of South Fork Sherman Creek Road after it crosses bridge south from Sherman Peak Pass Highway; SE1/4 NW1/4 sec. 33, T. 36 N., R. 36 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at depth of 20 inches ranges from 43 to 45 degrees F. The soil is usually moist, but is dry in all parts between depths of 4 and 12 inches from 60 to 90 consecutive days. The soil ranges from neutral to strongly acid. Solum thickness exceeds 60 inches. The control section averages less than 5 percent coarse fragments. The argillic horizon is in the form of 1/16 to 4 inch thick lamellae that total more than 6 inches.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry. It is strongly acid or slightly acid.
The Bw horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry. It has weak blocky structure or is massive. It is strongly acid or slightly acid.
The E horizon has dry value of 6 or 7 dry. It has weak blocky structure or is massive. It is strongly acid or slightly acid.
The E and Bt and Bt horizons consists of lamellae of Bt 1/6 inch to 4 inches thick. The Bt lamellae have hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 6 dry. Texture is heavy sandy loam to sandy clay loam and averages 18 to 35 percent clay. The E part has colors like the E horizon above. Texture is mostly fine sand or loamy fine sand, but some strata are as heavy as clay. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pausant soils are on glacial lake terraces at elevations of 2,000 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. They formed in stratified sandy and silty glacial lacustrine materials. Pausant soils are in a cold, subhumid climate with long, cold, wet winters, and short, hot, dry summers. Mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 43 degrees F, mean annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 25 inches, and frost-free period ranges from 90 to 120 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Karamin, Merkel, Nevine, and Talls soils. All of these soils lack an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland and limited grazing and farming. Native vegetation is ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir and willow and an understory of pinegrass, wild strawberry, serviceberry, and pachistima.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ferry County, Washington 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from 0 to 7 inches, an albic horizon from 13 to 36 inches, and a banded albic and argillic horizon from 36 to 90 inches. The argillic bands total more than 6 inches in thickness.