LOCATION SNOWPLOW WA
Established Series
Rev. CSM/AFW/TDT
09/2019
SNOWPLOW SERIES
Landscape--mountains
Landform--mountain slopes, ridges
Slope--5 to 45 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash mixed with colluvium derived from basalt or andesite
Mean annual precipitation--about 1300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 5 degrees C
Depth class--very deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy, mixed Humic Xeric Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Snowplow ashy fine sandy loam in an area of forestland, on an 8-percent, east-facing slope at an elevation of 1775 m (All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 5 cm; slightly decomposed needles and twigs and a small amount of 1980 Mount St. Helens volcanic ash
A1--5 to 15 cm; ashy fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; NaF pH 9.9; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary
A2--15 to 30 cm; ashy fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and common fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; NaF pH 9.9; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary
AB--30 to 46 cm; ashy fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; NaF pH 10.1; strongly acid (pH 5.5); gradual smooth boundary
Bw1--46 to 61 cm; ashy fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent gravel; NaF pH 10.3; strongly acid (pH 5.3); clear smooth boundary
2Bw2--61 to 91 cm; very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel; NaF pH 10.3; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual smooth boundary
2Bw3--91 to 117 cm; very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel; NaF pH 10.5; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual smooth boundary
3BC--117 to 157 cm; very gravelly loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores and common fine tubular pores; 35 percent gravel; NaF pH 9.0; moderately acid (pH 6.0)
TYPE LOCATION: Yakima County, Washington, about 8 km northeast of the Tieton Guard Station; about 670 m south and 110 m west of the northeast corner of section 2, T. 14 N., R. 14 E.; latitude 46 degrees, 40 minutes, 1 second north and longitude 121 degrees, 2 minutes, 8 seconds west
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--5 to 7 degrees C
Mean summer soil temperature--6 to 8 degrees C
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice
Rock fragment content in particle-size control section--5 to 10 percent in upper part, 35 to 60 percent in lower part
Thickness of umbric epipedon--25 to 50 cm
Andic soil properties
*Thickness--100 to 150 cm
*Moist bulk density--0.75 to 1.00 g/cm3
*Glass content--10 to 30 percent
*Acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half iron--1 to 2 percent
*Phosphorus retention--40 to 60 percent
*15-bar water retention--less than 12 percent (air-dried samples)
Oi horizon
Thickness--3 to 8 cm
A horizon
Combined thickness--18 to 36 cm
AB horizon
Thickness--13 to 23 cm
Bw1 horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry
Texture--ashy fine sandy loam, ashy sandy loam
Rock fragment content--5 to 10 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Thickness--15 to 20 cm
2Bw horizon
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR
Value--5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma--2 to 4 dry
Texture--very gravelly ashy fine sandy loam, very gravelly ashy sandy loam, very cobbly ashy sandy loam
Rock fragment content--35 to 60 percent
Reaction--5.1 to 6.0
Combined thickness--51 to 76 cm
BC horizon (where present)
Texture--very gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam
Reaction--5.6 to 6.5
COMPETING SERIES:
Waaw--umbric epipedon 63 to 97 cm thick
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1300 to 1925 m
Mean annual precipitation--1000 to 1400 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -4 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 17 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--about 4 to 6 degrees C
Frost-free season--30 to 60 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Fiscus--on mountain slopes and ridges; ashy over loamy-skeletal particle-size class; argillic horizon
Naxing--on plateaus, benches, and side slopes; ashy-skeletal particle-size class
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation
Native vegetation--subalpine fir, grand fir, lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, western larch, elk sedge, big huckleberry, Jacob's ladder, beargrass, prince's pine
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern slopes of Cascade Mountains in Yakima County, Washington; MLRA 6; small extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wenatchee National Forest, Naches Area; Yakima County, Washington; 2003
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Umbric epipedon--zone from 5 to 46 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 46 to 117 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from 5 to 117 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 5 to 105 cm; ashy in zone from 5 to 61 cm; ashy-skeletal in zone from 61 to 105 cm
ADDITIONAL DATA:
National Soil Survey Laboratory pedon number 92P0017
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.