LOCATION STALEY WA
Established Series
Rev. NCD/HRG/JJR/SHB
06/2016
STALEY SERIES
Landscape--Columbia basalt plateau
Landform--loess hills
Slope--7 to 25 percent
Parent material--dominantly loess; some volcanic ash in upper part
Mean annual precipitation--about 510 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 9 degrees C
Depth class--deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Calcic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Staley silt loam, cultivated
Ap--0 to 18 cm; silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary
A--18 to 46 cm; silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many roots; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary
Bk1--46 to 53 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots; common fine pores; calcium carbonate in pores and root channels and on peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary
Bk2--53 to 74 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots; common fine pores; calcium carbonate in pores and root channels and on peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary
Bk3--74 to 102 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots; calcium carbonate in pores and root channels and on peds; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary
Bk4--102 to 137 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); clear wavy boundary
Bk5--137 to 150 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; calcium carbonate in pores and root channels; slightly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6)
TYPE LOCATION: Whitman County, Washington; about 350 m south and 110 m west of the northeast corner of section 27, T. 18 N., R. 43 E.; Steptoe, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle; latitude 47.0323889, longitude -117.3640002, datum WGS 84 (coordinates estimated from PLSS details)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of solum--50 to 100 cm
Mean annual soil temperature at a depth of 50 cm--8 to 10 degrees C
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry in all parts between depths of 10 and 30 cm 60 to 80 consecutive days in summer and fall
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 45 cm
Depth to secondary carbonates--25 to 60 cm
Particle-size control section
*Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam
*Content of clay--15 to 30 percent, averaging more than 18 percent
Ap and A horizons
*Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
*Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
*Structure--granular, subangular blocky
*Reaction--6.1 to 8.4
*Thickness of Ap horizon--15 to 25 cm
*Thickness of A horizon--13 to 25 cm
A Bw horizon is in some pedons.
Bk horizon
*Value--5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
*Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
*Structure--massive, prismatic
*Reaction--6.6 to 9.0
*Combined thickness--30 to 165 cm or more
COMPETING SERIES:
Kearns--no prismatic structure; no loess and ash influence; range to very fine sandy loam in lower part of control section
Rhea--no secondary carbonates in upper part of B horizon
Valby--50 to 100 cm deep to bedrock
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--610 to 915 m
Climate--continental, temperate; relatively dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--455 to 585 mm
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 11 degrees C
Frost-free season--about 110 to 150 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Caldwell--irregular distribution of organic matter as depth increases
Garfield--no mollic epipedon; no secondary carbonates
Konert,
Latah,
Tilma--fine-textured control section; no secondary carbonates
Naff,
Thatuna--argillic horizon; no secondary carbonates
Palouse--mollic epipedon more than 50 cm thick; no secondary carbonates
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--production of small grain, peas, lentils, alfalfa, and grasses for hay and pasture
Native vegetation--Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Washington; MLRA 9; small extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Whitman County, Washington; 1939
REMARKS:
The Staley series was previously classified as a Brunizem.
6/2016--This official series description (OSD) was updated as part of the final correlation of the Spokane County, Washington, soil survey. The location of this pedon is in an area of Palouse silt loam, 7 to 25 percent slopes. The nearest Staley map unit delineation is more than 5 km from this location. This pedon is on a south-facing loess ridge. The formatting of this OSD was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--soil survey sample number 85WA075007; Whitman County, Washington; Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory pedon number 86P0069
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.