LOCATION SKATE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over medial, glassy over amorphic, frigid Typic Udivitrands
TYPICAL PEDON: Skate cindery sandy loam - under a coniferous forest on a 3 percent terrace slope at an elevation of 2,l60 feet. (The soil was moist when described. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
0l and 02--3.5 inches to 0; loose, partially decomposed organic litter including needles, leaves, twigs, and bark chips; abrupt smooth boundary. (l to 5 inches thick)
A2--0 to 2.5 inches; dark gray (l0YR 4/l) sandy loam, gray (l0YR 5/l) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine pores; 5 percent rounded and subangular pumice fragments 2 to 4 mm in diameter; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (0.5 to 3 inches thick)
B2lir--2.5 to 7 inches; dark brown (l0YR 4/3) cindery loamy sand, yellowish brown (l0YR 5/4) dry; weak medium and coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and few coarse roots; common pores of all sizes; 20 percent rounded and subangular pumice fragments 2 to l5 mm in diameter; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B22ir--7 to l5 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) very cindery sand, yellowish brown (l0YR 5/8) dry; single grained; loose; common very fine, fine medium and few coarse roots; 40 percent rounded and subangular pumice fragments 2 to l8 mm in diameter; medium acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to l0 inches thick)
2B2irb--l5 to 39 inches; dark yellowish brown (l0YR 4/6) gravelly loam, brownish yellow (l0YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium and many coarse roots; common fine pores; l5 percent rounded and subangular hard pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (20 to 28 inches thick)
3Cl--39 to 49 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) extremely gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (2.5yr7/4) dry; single grained; loose; common very fine, fine and medium roots; 62 percent rounded and subangular hard pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to l2 inches thick)
3C2--49 to 60 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) extremely gravelly sand, pale yellow (2.5Y 6/4) dry; single grained; loose; 70 percent rounded and subangular hard pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Lewis County, Washington; about 0.2 miles south of Silver Creek off a logging road, 590 feet north and l,880 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 22, T. l3 N., R. 7 E., W.M.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 44 to 46 F. Depth to the buried cindery material ranges from l4 to 20 inches. Depth to 3C horizon ranges from 38 to 46 inches.
The A2 horizon has hue of l0YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist and 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of l or 2 moist and dry. It has 5 to 20 percent pebble-size pumice fragments. This horizon is strongly acid or medium acid.
The B2lir horizon has hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. It has l5 to 30 percent pebble-size pumice fragments. This horizon is medium acid or slightly acid.
The B22ir horizon has hue of l0YR through 5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 through 7 dry, and chroma of 4 through 8 moist and dry. It has 35 to 50 percent pebble-size pumice fragments. This horizon is medium acid or slightly acid. The 2B2irb horizon has hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist and dry. It is loam, silt loam, or sandy loam. This horizon has l5 to 25 percent rounded and subangular weathered pebbles and 0 to 5 percent cobbles. It is medium acid or slightly acid. Some pedons have an intermittent 2A2b horizon.
The 3C horizon typically ranges from extremely gravelly loamy sand to extremely gravelly sand, but is gravelly silty clay loam in the lacustrine substratum phase.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bellicum Benham, Bisping, Bromo, Choralmont, Cispus, Cotteral, National, Palmich, Ramparter and Thow series. Bellicum soils are medial-skeletal in the lower part of the control section. Benham soils have pumice layers in the substratum. Bisping, Choralmont, Palmich, Ramparter, and Thow soils are cindery throughout the substratum and have an umbric epipedon. Cispus soils have a cindery control section and a mesic temperature regime. Cotteral soils have a cryic temperature regime. National soils have an umbric epipedon and a mesic temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skate soils are on glacial outwash and lacustrine terraces and terrace breaks in mountainous upland drainages at elevations of l,500 to 2,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 90 percent. Landforms associated with these soils are commonly eroded. These soils formed in coarse-textured outwash overlain by layers of volcanic ash and pumice. In some areas, the substratum is composed of silty lacustrine deposits. The climate is characterized by cool dry summers and cool wet winters. Mean annual precipitation is 80 to ll0 inches including snow. Mean annual temperature is 42 to 44 degrees F. The growing season (28 degrees F.) is 90 to l20 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bellicum, Bromo, and Cotteral soils and the Cattcreek, Pheeney, and Stahl soils. Cattcreek soils are cindery over medial-skeletal, have a cryic temperature regime and have a spodic horizon. Pheeney and Stahl soils are medial-skeletal. Also, Stahl soils have a cryic temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat and watershed. Overstory vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Pacific silver fir and western redcedar. Understory and ground vegetation is tree seedlings, western princess pine (tall variety), princess pine (small variety-pipsissewa), Oregon-grape, northern twinflower, vine maple, starflower, coolwort, redwood violet, rattlesnake plantain, mosses, and lichens.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Cascade Mountains, Lewis County, Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lewis County, Washington, l979.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy.