LOCATION SARAZAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Andic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Sarazan very gravelly ashy silt loam - in an old clearcut on an 18 percent convex east-facing broad ridgetop at an elevation of 2,000 feet. The soil was moist throughout when described. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--0 to 3inches; loose, partially decomposed organic litter including needles, leaves, twigs, bark chips, cones, and roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A--3 to 12 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) very gravelly ashy silt loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine pores; 20 percent shot-like aggregates (2-5mm in diameter); 35 percent subangular basaltic breccia pebbles (most 2-20mm in diameter) and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--12 to 21 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly ashy silt loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine pores; 45 percent subangular basaltic breccia pebbles (most 2-5cm in diameter) and 5 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--21 to 34 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very gravelly ashy silt loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) dry; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine pores; 45 percent subangular basaltic breccia pebbles (3-6cm in diameter) and 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 18 to 32 inches)
C--34 to 53 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) extremely gravelly ashy silt loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic, weakly smeary; few roots; common pores; 50 percent subangular basaltic breccia pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (14 to 20 inches thick)
R--53 inches; highly fractured basaltic breccia bedrock with fines in the fracture planes.
TYPE LOCATION: Cowlitz County, Washington; 1,600 feet north and 2,000 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 31, T. 9 N., R. 3 E., W. M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average annual soil temperature at 20 inches ranges from 44 to 46 degrees F. Depth to a lithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. Rock fragments are usually subangular basaltic breccia pebbles and cobbles that have strong brown to yellowish red weathering rinds, but are black in the unweathered centers. Rock fragments range from 35 to 55 percent in the particle-size control section. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to strongly acid throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR; value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 or 5 dry.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 5YR or 2.5YR; value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry; and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. Texture of the fine earth fraction is ashy silt loam or ashy silty clay loam. Pebbles range from 35 to 50 percent and cobbles from 5 to 10 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 2.5YR; value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry; and chroma of 4 to 8 moist and dry. Texture of the fine earth fraction is ashy silt loam or ashy silty clay loam. Pebbles range from 45 to 55 percent and cobbles from 5 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This the Hoffstadt and Marblecreek series. Marblecreek soils are more than 60 inches deep to bedrock. Hoffstadt soils are sandy loam (volcanic ash) in the fine earth fraction throughout the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sarazan soils are on mountain slopes and broad ridgetops at elevations of 1,600 to 2,800 feet. Slopes are 5 to 65 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from basaltic breccia and volcanic ash and loess. The climate is marine and characterized by cool, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation is 80 to 100 inches. The average annual air temperature is 42 to 44 degrees F. The growing season (28 degrees F) is 140 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Hoffstadt soils, and the Beigle, Jonas, Pheeney, Voight, and Xeno soils. All of these soils except Hoffstadt have an umbric epipedon. Beigle, Jonas, Voight, and Xeno soils have less than 35 percent hard rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Pheeney soils have a lithic contact with andesite at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Voight soils have an argillic horizon. Xeno soils formed in highly weathered tuff or tuffaceous breccia, have a paralithic contact with tuff, and have soft tuff fragments in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for timber production, wildlife habitat, watershed, and recreation. Overstory and understory vegetation is mainly Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, red alder, and vine maple. Ground vegetation includes salal, Oregon-grape, red huckleberry, trailing blackberry, western swordfern, Oregon oxalis, northern twinflower, and redwood violet.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Cowlitz County, Washington. The series is small in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cowlitz County, Washington, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the mineral surface to 9 inches and a cambic horizon from 9 to 31 inches and a lithic contact at 50 inches.