LOCATION REPUBLIC WA+IDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Republic ashy loam, cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) ashy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common roots; 10 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
A--6 to 17 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common roots; few fine pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bw--17 to 24 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common roots; few fine pores; 25 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.7); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 28 inches thick)
C1--24 to 39 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common roots; few fine pores; 25 percent gravel, some cobble and stones; neutral (pH 6.9); gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C2--39 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; 30 percent gravel, some cobble and stones; pebbles coated on underside with calcium carbonate; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Ferry County, Washington; 900 feet east and 350 feet south of the NW corner of section 2, T.39 N., R.32 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at 20 inches is 44 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry between depths of 8 and 24 inches for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The solum ranges from 16 to 48 inches thick. The upper 10 to 20 inches has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.00 to 1.50 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 30 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.25 to 1.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples. The particle-size control section has 0 to 35 percent rock fragments and 15 to 25 percent coarse plus very coarse sand. Some pedons have a stony, cobbly or gravelly surface layer. An O horizon is present in some pedons.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 1, 2 or 3. Rock fragments range from 0 to 55 percent. Texture is ashy loam, ashy fine sandy loam, or ashy sandy loam. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4, 5, or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. Texture is loam, sandy loam or silt loam with 0 to 30 percent rock fragments. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The C1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5, 6 or 7 dry, 3, 4, 5 or 6 moist and chroma of 2, 3 or 4. Texture is loam or sandy loam with 0 to 35 percent rock fragments. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The C2 horizon, when present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 3 to 4 dry of moist. Texture is loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam with 15 to 45 percent gravel and 0 to 10 percent cobbles and stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bunchpoint, Dinkelman, Kilmerque, Lani, Lostcreek and Thrapp series. Bunchpoint soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Dinkelman soils are 40 to 60 inches to a paralithic contact, have 25 to 35 percent coarse plus very coarse sand in the particle-size control section, and 15 to 35 percent angular granitic rock fragments. Kilmerque soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Lani soils have 25 to 35 percent coarse and very coarse sand in the particle-size control section. Lostcreek soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days and are moderately well drained with redox concentrations below a depth of 30 inches. Thrapp soils are 36 to 45 inches deep to a densic contact and redox concentrations.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Republic soils are on alluvial fans and footslopes and backslopes of mountains at elevations of 1,600 to 5,500 feet. In Idaho, elevations are 4,500 to 5,100 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. They formed in alluvium and glacial till of mixed mineralogy with a component of loess and volcanic ash. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The average annual precipitation is 14 to 20 inches, but ranges to 28 inches in Idaho. The frost free season is 60 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Apex, Elbowlake, Garrison, Hunters, Mires, Molson, Scoap, and Stevens soils. Apex soils have a volcanic ash mantle 7 to 14 inches thick meeting andic soil properties and are on mountains and till plains. Elbowlake soils are ashy over loamy-skeletal and are on backslopes, footslopes and toeslopes. Scoap soils are loamy-skeletal, have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick and are on uplands and mountainsides. Garrison soils are mesic and are on outwash terraces. Hunters soils have a fine-silty particle-size control section and are on terraces. Mire and Molson soils have a medial upper control section. Mire soils are on upland slopes. Scoap soils are on uplands and mountainsides. Stevens soils are mesic and are on hillsides.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Republic soils are used for cropland, timber production, grazing, and wildlife habitat. Alfalfa hay, grass-legume hay, wheat and barley are common crops. The native vegetation in Washington is ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir with an understory ranging from bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, prairie Junegrass, Idaho fescue, rough fescue, and wild rose to common snowberry, white spirea and Saskatoon serviceberry (moist phase). The native vegetation in Idaho is Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and mallow ninebark.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ferry, Stevens and Okanogan Counties, Washington; MLRA 43A, 44, 6, and Boise County, Idaho; The Republic soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ferry County (North Ferry Area), Washington, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from the mineral surface to 17 inches with the zone from 17 to 24 inches having less than 0.6 percent organic carbon
Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches having an average of 22 percent rock fragments.
Base saturation (by sum of cations) is estimated to be less than 75 percent in parts of the upper 30 inches of the soil, based on lab data from similar soils.
Classification revision 12/01 from coarse-loamy, mixed, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls to coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerolls.
This series has been correlated into the Boise County, Idaho survey based on similarities with the Republic series concept with consideration of the very limited extent. These soils occur in a 26 to 28 inch precipitation zone in MLRA 44 on protected backslopes of uplifted and dissected fan remnants of early Pleistocene age. These periglacial deposits are auriferous and have a history of significant hydraulic mining activities.
ADDITIONAL DATA: S94WA-047-005.