LOCATION SAPPHO WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, mixed, isofrigid Eutric Pachic Fulvudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Sappho very gravelly medial sandy loam-forestland, on a 46 percent northwesterly aspect at an elevation of 1,200 feet in a Pacific silver fir/oxalis plant association. (When described on April 22, 1994, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 4 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, log fragments, and cone fragments; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches)
Oe--4 to 6 inches; moderately decomposed organic materials; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--6 to 13 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly medial sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine, fine, and medium subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--13 to 19 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; 30 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--19 to 28 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; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--28 to 40 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 subangular 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, 15 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 19 to 30 inches)
2Bw4--40 to 47 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) very gravelly 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; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary.
2BC--47 to 60 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; weak fine, medium, and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bw and 2BC horizon is 15 to 25 inches)
2R--60 inches; hard fractured hard metasedimentary rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 3 2/3 miles southeast of Ellis Mountain, about 1,145 feet west and 2,730 feet south of the northeast corner of Section 4, T. 30 N., R. 12 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 07 minutes, 40 seconds N., Longitude 124 degrees, 14 minutes, 39 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 47 degrees F. The mean summer soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. and the mean winter soil temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F. The difference between the mean winter and mean summer soil temperature is 5 to 9 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 bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. The particle-size control section has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 24 to 35 inches and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.30 to 0.70 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 6 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, 15-bar water retention of 30 to 50 percent for air dried samples, and acid oxalate iron of 0.5 to 1.5 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and dry, value of 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. Reaction is very strongly or strongly acid. It has 20 to 40 percent organic matter. It has 2 to 3 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is very gravelly medial loam, extremely gravelly medial loam, or extremely cobbly medial sandy loam. Reaction is very strongly to moderately acid. It has 2 to 20 percent organic matter and has more than 7 percent to a depth of over 20 inches. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum.
The 2Bw and 2BC horizons have hue of 2.5Y or 10YR moist and dry, value of 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist. It is very gravelly sandy loam, extremely gravelly loam, or extremely cobbly sandy loam. Reaction is strongly or moderately acid. Moist bulk density of over 0.90 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Edenvalley series. Edenvalley soils are moderately deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sappho soils are predominantly on dissected mountain slopes and moderate relief mountain slopes. Slopes are 15 to 90 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum from sedimentary and metasedimentary rocks. Elevations are 800 to 2,400 feet. Average annual precipitation is 95 to 135 inches. Average annual temperature is 41 to 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is 120 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dimal, Edenvalley, Goodness, and Pysht soils. Edenvalley soils are on dissected mountain slopes and glaciated mountain slopes and are moderately deep. Goodness soils are on moderate relief mountain slopes and dissected mountain slopes and are medial over loamy. Pysht soils are on glaciated mountain slopes and are moderately well drained. Dimal soils are on mountain headwalls and are shallow.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, salal, deer fern, Alaska huckleberry, Oregon oxalis, threeleaf foamflower, western swordfern, red huckleberry, queencup beadlily, and deerfoot vanillaleaf.
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 - 13 to 60 inches
Andic soil properties - 6 to 40 inches
Lithic contact - 69 inches
PSCS - 6 to 46 inches (6 to 40 inches is medial-skeletal and ferrihydritic, from 40 to 46 inches is loamy-skeletal and isotic). This thickest part is medial-skeletal.
All depths to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.