LOCATION PISTOL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, frigid Aquic Udivitrands
TYPICAL PEDON: Pistol very gravelly medial loam-forestland, on a 29 percent west-southwesterly aspect at an elevation of 1,460 feet in a western hemlock/salal plant association. (When described on March 29, 1994, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed wood fragments; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--2 to 6 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 35 percent gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 9 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very gravelly medial loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and common fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--9 to 15 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) very gravelly medial loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 35 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--15 to 21 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) very gravelly medial loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw4--21 to 31 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) very gravelly medial silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation on ped faces; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 17 to 32 inches.)
Cd--31 to 62 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) very gravelly silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; massive; hard, brittle, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine irregular pores; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) iron depletions on ped faces and few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation on ped faces; 35 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 2.5 miles northeast of Snider Peak, about 2,465 feet north and 615 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 11, T. 30 N., R. 11 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 06 minutes, 37 seconds N., Longitude 124 degrees, 05 minutes, 19 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 0 to 30 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic moisture regime. Depth to dense till is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to redox features is 19 to 30 inches. The particle-size control section from the mineral soil surface to the contact with the dense layer has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 14 to 25 inches and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.70 to 0.90 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent for air dried samples and 20 to 30 percent for moist samples. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist or dry. It has 5 to 10 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 2.5Y moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is very gravelly medial loam, very gravelly medial silt loam, or extremely gravelly medial sandy loam. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
The Cd horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 7 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry. It is very gravelly silt loam, extremely gravelly loam, or extremely gravelly sandy loam. Reaction is moderately or slightly acid. It has moist bulk density of 1.50 to 2.00 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pistol soils are on glaciated mountain slopes. Slopes are 15 to 55 percent. The soils formed in continental glacial till. Elevations are 1,250 to 2,500 feet. Average annual precipitation is 85 to 100 inches. Average annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Northpoint, Ruprecht, Schutz, and Wyecreek soils. Northpoint and Wyecreek soils are on glaciated mountain slopes and headwalls, are well drained and over bedrock. Ruprecht and Schutz soils are well drained and over bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderate over slow permeability. Pistol soils have a perched zone of saturation above the dense till from November through April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, salal, western swordfern, red huckleberry, and baldhip rose.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Clallam County, 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 the following:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 6 to 31 inches
Andic soil properties - 2 to 31 inches
Densic layer - 31 to 62 inches
PSCS - 2 to 31 inches
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.