LOCATION PHELAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, isomesic, shallow Typic Duraquands
TYPICAL PEDON: Phelan very gravelly medial silt loam, forested. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, bark and moss.
Oa--1 to 2 inches; highly decomposed dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) decomposing forest litter; very strongly acid (pH 4.8).
A1--2 to 4 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very gravelly medial silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; moderate very fine and fine granular and moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine medium and coarse roots; 40 percent medium and coarse glacial gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A2--4 to 6 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly medial silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, medium and coarse roots; 40 percent medium and coarse glacial gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A3--6 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly medial silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine, medium and coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular and interstitial pores; 45 percent coarse glacial gravel and cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
BA--13 to 18 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) extremely gravelly medial silt loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; many coarse distinct brown (10YR 4/3) redox concentrations; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common medium and coarse tubular and common medium interstitial pores; 65 percent coarse glacial gravel and cobble; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); gradual wavy lower boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bsm--18 to 22 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) extremely gravelly silt loam, white (5Y 8/1) dry; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; massive; weakly cemented; extremely hard, extremely firm, nonsticky, nonplastic; 60 percent coarse gravel and cobble; very strongly acid (pH 4.9). (3 to 10 inches thick)
Cd--22 to 60 inches; dense glacial till.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Washington; upper Hoh River Valley in the SE1/4 SW1/4 SW1/4 section 29, T.27N., R.11W., 30 feet below rim of canyon on an 80 percent slope.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. The difference between the mean winter and mean summer soil temperature is 5 to 9 degrees F. Depth to redox features is 8 to 15 inches. The solum has andic soil properties with moist bulk density of 0.50 to 0.90 g/cc, acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half the iron is 2 to 4 percent, phosphate retention is 85 to 100 and 15-bar water is 25 to 35 percent on air-dried samples. Acid oxalate iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent. The solum has 2 to 3 cmol/kg of aluminum. Soil reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid. The depth to the cemented material is 10 to 20 inches. The content of coarse fragments in the control section is 35 to 70 percent.
The A horizon is in 10YR to 5YR hue, range in values of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma from 2 to 4 dry. It is medial silt loam or medial loam and is gravelly to extremely gravelly, cobbly to extremely cobbly; has weak to moderate granular structure.
The BA horizon is 7.5YR to 2.5Y hue, range in values of 4 or 5 moist, and chroma from 2 to 4 moist. It is silt loam or loam and is gravelly, very gravelly, cobbly, or very cobbly; and is massive.
The Bsm horizon is weakly to strongly cemented, hue is 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6 moist, and chroma from 1 to 3 moist.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this or closely related families.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Phelan soils occur on steep to very steep valley sideslopes at elevations of 200 to 1,000 feet. Slopes are 30 to 80 percent. The regolith consists of glacial outwash and colluvium over compacted till. These soils occur in a cool, wet coastal climate having an annual precipitation of 120 to 170 inches, most of which falls as rain during the fall, winter and spring months. The average January temperature is 39 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 39 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. The growing season (28 degrees F.) is 200 to 230 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Hoko, Klone, Itswoot, Kalaloch, Queets, amd Tealwit soils. None of these soils are shallow.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium to rapid runoff; permeability is moderate in the upper part and very slow in the cemented pan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forest. Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, Pacific silver fir, western red cedar, vine maple, devil's club, salmonberry, red and blue huckleberry, salal, and swordfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington rain forest; MLRA 4A. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Washington, 1964.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:
Andic soil properties - 2 to 18 inches
Ochric epipedon
Aquic moisture regime - depletions and concentrations from 13 to 22 inches
Cemented materials - 18 to 22 inches
Densic contact - 22 inches
Areas of isofrigid are included within the series. This soil needs to be sampled for andic soil properties. Similar wet soils over glacial till on the Quinault Indian Reservation lack andic soil properties.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.