LOCATION REICHEL WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, amorphic Typic Fulvicryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Reichel medial loam, under a coniferous forest on a 9 percent west-facing broad convex ridgetop at an elevation of 2,600 feet. The soil was moist when described. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed organic litter, including needles, leaves, twigs, bark chips and roots. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Oa--1 to 3 inches; highly decomposed organic litter; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A1--3 to 10 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) medial loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many fine pores; 5 percent 2 to 5 mm diameter andesite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary.
A2--10 to 24 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) medial loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many fine, common medium and coarse roots; common fine pores; 5 percent andesite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 14 to 26 inches)
Bw--24 to 48 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) gravelly medial loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few pores; 20 percent andesite pebbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C--48 to 53 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very cobbly medial loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few fine, medium and coarse roots; 20 percent andesite pebbles, 30 percent 3 to 4 inch diameter rounded andesite cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 19 inches thick)
R--53 inches; hard andesite.
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, Washington; about 1,300 feet northwest of Windy Knob; 1,390 feet north and 590 feet west of the southeast corner, sec. 17, T.14N., R.2E., WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is 30 to 50 inches thick. The average annual soil temperature 41 to 44 degrees F. Depth to a lithic contact with andesite or breccia is 40 to 60 inches. Rock fragments in the control section average from 5 to 35 percent and are usually subangular andesite or tuff pebbles. The soil reaction is moderately acid to very strongly acid throughout. The umbric epipedon is 14 to 26 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4 moist and dry. Pebbles (2 to 7 mm in diameter) range from 0 to 10 percent. Organic matter is 10 to 15 percent.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is medial loam, medial clay loam or medial silty clay loam. Andesite pebbles and cobbles average from 5 to 30 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is very gravelly medial loam, very cobbly medial loam or very cobbly medial clay loam. Pebbles and cobbles average from 35 to 55 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Snowlin series and the similar Cultus, Oneonta, and Soosap series. Snowlin soils are more than 60 inches deep to bedrock. Cultus soils lack a cambic horizon and the upper part of the control section is loamy sand or loamy fine sand. Oneonta soils have a solum 10 to 25 inches thick and have less than 18 percent apparent clay in the C horizon. Soosap soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches and are dry for part of the summer.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Reichel soils are on broad ridgetops and mountainsides at elevations of 2,500 to 4,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from andesite or andesitic alloclastic breccia with a mixture of volcanic ash in the upper part of the profile. The average annual air temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F, and the average annual precipitation ranges from 70 to 90 inches. The growing season (28 degrees F) is 140 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dobbs, Jonas, Pheeney, Stahl, Vailton and Zynbar series. Dobbs, Jonas, Pheeney, Vailton, and Zynbar soils have a frigid temperature regime. Dobbs soils formed in alpine glacial till and have a paralithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Stahl soils are medial-skeletal. Vailton soils have soft siltstone or fine sandstone fragments in the control section. Pheeney soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, watershed and wildlife habitat. Overstory vegetation includes western hemlock, Douglas fir, noble fir, western redcedar, Alaska-cedar, and Pacific silver fir. Understory and ground vegetation include red huckleberry, Oregon-grape, Pacific trillium, Oregon oxalis, starry false-Solomons-seal, western brackenfern, ladyfern, redwood violet, princes pine, western rattlesnake plantain, and wild lilyofthevalley.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western slopes of the central Cascade Mountains in Washington. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lewis County, Washington, 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an umbric epipedon from the mineral surface to 21 inches and a cambic horizon from 21 to 45 inches. Bulk density is estimated to be 0.85 to 1.00 in part of the upper 45 inches of this soil.