LOCATION STORMKING WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, frigid Vitric Hapludands
TYPICAL PEDON: Stormking extremely gravelly medial sandy loam-forestland, on a 48 percent northwesterly aspect at an elevation of 2,060 feet in a western hemlock/Oregon-grape-swordfern plant association. (When described on July 19, 1994, the soil was dry throughout. Colors are for
moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, twigs, and cone fragments; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Oe--1 to 2 inches; moderately decomposed organic materials; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
A--2 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine granular and weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and common fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 60 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--6 to 18 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine tubular and irregular pores; 55 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--18 to 32 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 26 to 38 inches.)
BC--32 to 45 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/6) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, yellow (10YR 7/6) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 45 percent gravel, 30 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
R--45 inches; fractured hard volcanic rock
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 1 2/3 miles northwest of Pyramid Mtn., about 1,190 feet east and 1,230 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 22, T. 30 N., R. 9 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 04 minutes, 57 seconds N., Longitude 123 degrees, 49 minutes, 25 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 30 to 45 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic moisture regime. Depth to bedrock is 40 to more than 60 inches. The particle-size control section has andic soil properties with a cumulative thickness of 20 to 40 inches and 60 to 90 percent rock fragments by volume. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.70 to 0.90 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, a 15-bar water retention of 12 to 25 percent for air dried samples, and 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent for air dried samples with a total thickness of 10 inches or more in the subsoil. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and dry and value and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. Reaction is strongly or moderately acid. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum. It has 5 to 10 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is gravelly medial loam, extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, or extremely cobbly medial sandy loam. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
The BC horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry and chroma of 4 or 6 moist. It is extremely gravelly sandy loam or extremely cobbly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Wyecreek series. Wyecreek soils are moderately deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stormking soils are on mountain slopes. Slopes are 20 to 90 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum from marine basalt and associated volcanic rocks. Elevations are 1,250 to 2,800 feet. Average annual precipitation is 50 to 100 inches. Average annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 140 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Wyecreek soil and the Pistol soil. Pistol soils are moderately deep and moderately well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, western redcedar, Douglas-fir, western swordfern, Oregon-grape, salal, northern twinflower, and deerfoot vanillaleaf.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington; MLRA 1. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clallam County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are the following:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 6 to 45 inches
Andic soil properties - 2 to 32 inches
Lithic contact - 45 inches
PSCS - 2 to 42 inches
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.