LOCATION TOTEM WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over pumiceous or cindery, amorphic over glassy Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Totem medial sandy loam - under a coniferous forest on a 45 percent southeast facing slope at an elevation of 2,800 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, and bark; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
Oe--1 to 2 inches; moderately decomposed forest litter; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
E--2 to 3 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) ashy sandy loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few fine tubular pores; 5 percent pumice; NaF pH 10.5; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual irregular boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Bs--3 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent pumice; NaF pH 12.0; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
Bw--8 to 27 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) medial sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist with strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron stains on 30 percent of ped surfaces; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine, few medium roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 10 percent pumice; NaF pH 12.0; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
2C1--27 to 35 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine roots; 50 percent pumice; NaF pH 12.0; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2C2--35 to 53 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; single grain; loose; common very fine roots; many voids not filled; 80 percent pumice, 2 mm to 20 mm in diameter. NaF pH 12.0; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 22 inches thick)
2C3--53 to 62 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and yellow (10YR 7/6) extremely paragravelly ashy loamy sand; light gray (10YR 7/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; single grain; loose; many voids not filled, 90 percent pumice, 2 to 20 mm in diameter; NaF pH 12.0; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington, about 3 miles south of Trinity on U.S.F.S. Little Giant Pass Trail Number 1518; l,500 feet east, 2,000 feet south of the northwest corner, sec. 10, T. 29 N., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 40 to 43 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section for 30 to 45 consecutive days during summer. The upper 20 to 35 inches of the particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.85 to 1.0 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of more than 2.0 percent, 15-bar water content of 12 to 15 percent, and 5 to 20 percent pumice. The lower part of the particle-size control section has 35 to 90 percent pumice. Thickness of the spodic horizon ranges from 1 to 7 inches.
The E horizon has a value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has a value of 3 or 4 moist. It has 0 to 10 percent pumice. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The Bw horizon has a chroma of 3 or 4 moist. It is medial sandy loam, paragravelly medial sandy loam or paragravelly medial loam. It has 10 to 20 percent pumice. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The 2C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 8 moist or dry. It is very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam, or extremely paragravelly ashy loamy sand. It is 45 to 95 percent pumice.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Fernow series. Fernow soils have a Bhs horizon with 3 to 6 percent organic carbon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Totem soils are in U-shaped valleys influenced by alpine glaciation and on mountainsides, toeslopes, benches and valley bottoms. Slopes are 5 to 90 percent. They formed in volcanic ash and pumice from Glacier Peak. Elevations are 2,600 to 5,500 feet. The soils are in a marine-influenced climate with cool, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is 50 to 75 inches. The mean January temperature is about 24 degrees F, and the July temperature is about 59 degrees F. The mean annual temperature is about 40 to 43 degrees F. The growing season, at 28 degrees F, is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chiwaukum, McCue and Wedge soils the competing Fernow. Chiwaukum soils are ashy over loamy-skeletal. McCue soils are medial over loamy skeletal and average 35 to 60 percent gneiss and schist fragments in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Wedge soils are cindery.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff, permeability is moderate in the upper portion of the profile and rapid in the lower portion.
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland, wildlife habitat, and watershed. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, Pacific silver fir, western redcedar, western white pine, grand fir, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine with an understory of vaccinium, pachystima, Oregon-grape, princes pine, and western brackenfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in Chelan County, Washington near Glacier Peak. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, Entiat Soil Survey, 1972.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 1 inch, a spodic horizon from 3 to 8 inches, and a lithologic change to very paragravelly material at 27 inches. The spodic horizon does not meet chemical criteria for a spodic horizon, but does have cracked coatings and silt-sized and larger pellets
ADDITIONAL DATA: Classification has been confirmed by the National Soil Survey laboratory, partial laboratory data NSSL 82T7127.