LOCATION SIMSFIELD WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over mixed, superactive, mesic Vitritorrandic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Simsfield ashy fine sandy loam - cropland, on a 3 percent slope at 2,150 feet elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Ap--0 to 12 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common fine tubular and few fine irregular pores; 10 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; neutral (pH 7.2); gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
AB--12 to 18 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) ashy loam; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist: weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 8 percent sand-size ash, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; disseminated secondary carbonates; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 13 inches thick)
2Bk--18 to 28 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silt loam; dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; moderate coarse medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent durinodes; common distinct irregular deposits of secondary carbonates; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
2Bkqm--28 to 34 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) weakly cemented duripan with a laminar cap less than 1.0mm thick, crushing to silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; slightly hard, very firm; nonsticky and nonplastic; few faint irregular deposits of secondary carbonates; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.7); clear smooth boundary. (1 to 10 inches thick)
2C--34 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silt loam; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; and few fine dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) redox depletions, moist; massive (laminated); hard, firm, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few very fine tubular pores; disseminated secondary carbonates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington; approximately 8 miles southeast of Mansfield. About 1,200 feet south and 800 feet east of the northwest corner of section 7, T. 26 N, R. 27 E. (Latitude 47 degrees 46' 36"N, Longitude 119 degrees 29' 32"W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in the moisture control section for one-half to three-fourths of the time when the soil temperature is over 41 degrees F. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. The upper 14 to 20 inches of the solum has moist bulk density of 1.10 to 1.35 g/cc, 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass content, including 5 to 20 percent pumiceous sand, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.15 to 0.40 percent, 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent, 0 to 10 percent gravel, and an apparent field estimated clay content of 5 to 14 percent. The lower part of the solum has 5 to 20 percent volcanic glass, 0 to 10 gravel and 9 to 18 percent clay. Depth to a weakly or moderately cemented duripan is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to secondary carbonates is 12 to 25 inches.
The Ap horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 moist and a chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist.
The AB horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, a value of 3 or 4 moist and a chroma of 1 or 2 dry. Textures are ashy loam or ashy silt loam.
The 2Bk horizon has a value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist. Textures are loam or silt loam. It has 1 to 5 percent calcium carbonate.
The 2Bkqm horizon has a hue of 2.5Y or 10YR and a value of 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 0 to 1 moist. Cementing agents are silica and calcium carbonate. Reaction is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The 2C horizon has a hue of 5Y through 10YR and a value of 3 or 4 moist. Redox features have a hue of 5Y through 7.5YR and a value of 3 to 5 moist and a chroma of 3 to 6 moist. SAR is 1 to 8.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Touhey series. The Touhey series has 20 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and the duripan is underlain by dense glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Simsfield soils are in bottoms and on side slopes in small depressions. Slopes are from 0 to 30 percent. These soils formed in loess, volcanic ash and pumice and loess over glaciolacustrine sediments. Elevation ranges from 1,600 to 2,600 feet. Average annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. Average January temperature is 27 degrees F and average July temperature is 71 degrees F. Average annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. Frost-free period is 130 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the DelRio, Ellisforde and St.Andrews soils. The DelRio soils are in depressions, swales, outwash channels, and on side slopes of kames and terraces. Ellisforde soils are on side slopes of terraces. DelRio and Ellisforde soils do not have a cemented duripan within the soil profile. St.Andrews soils are on glaciolacustrine-influenced till plains and have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, very slow to medium runoff; Moderate permeability above the duripan and slow through the duripan. Flooding is none to rare. Apparent water table at 36 to 60 inches from January to April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Simsfield soils are mainly used for dryland wheat and barley production. Small areas are use for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation on 0 to 8 percent slopes is basin wildrye and Wyoming big sage and vegetation on 8 to 30 percent slopes is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass and Wyoming big sage.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Douglas County, Washington. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 18 inches, 8 to 10 percent
sand-size ash from the surface to 18 inches with an estimated 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass and glaciolacustrine sediments with secondary carbonates from 18 to 28 inches over weakly cemented duripan. Lacustrine sediments below the duripan extend to a depth of 60 inches. The particle-size control section is the zone from 10 to 28 inches (part of the Ap, and the AB and the 2Bk horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Complete NSSL lab characterization data is available on another pedon number 90P1009.