LOCATION TOUHEY             WA
Established Series
Rev. VB/TLA
6/97

TOUHEY SERIES


The Touhey series consists of moderately deep to weakly cemented duripan, well drained soils formed in glacial till mixed with volcanic ash and loess. Touhey soils are on side slopes and toe slopes of undulating till plains on plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. Average annual precipitation is about 10 inches and average annual temperature is 49 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over mixed, superactive, mesic Vitritorrandic Durixerolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Touhey fine sandy loam - cropland, on a 1 percent slope at an elevation of 2,250 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)

Ap--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine interstitial pores; 5 percent pebbles; 3 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

A--5 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent pebbles; 3 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)

Bw1--12 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) gravelly fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; 3 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Bw2--21 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak, fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial and tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline (pH 7.8); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)

2Bk--30 to 38 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly sandy loam, gray brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones; few fine lime filaments and threads; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thicks)

2Bkqm--38 to 40 inches; olive brown (7.5 YR 4/4), weakly cemented duripan that crushes to very gravelly sandy loam, white (10YR 8/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; common medium lime filaments; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); gradual wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)

2Cdk--40 to 60 inches; dense lodgement till, olive brown (2.5Y 4/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; few fine tubular and interstitial pores; 35 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; few thin lime filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).

TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington, about 3/4 miles southeast of Mansfield; 800 feet west and 1,300 feet north of the southeast corner section 25, T.27N., R.25 E.
(Latitude 47 degrees 48' 18"N, Longitude 119 degrees 37' 19"W)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 53 degrees F. These soils are dry in the moisture control section for one-half to three-fourths of the time when the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 19 inches thick. Organic carbon is less than 0.60 percent at 20 inches. The upper 5 to 14 inches of the 10 to 40 inch particle-size control section has moist bulk density of 1.10 to 1.50 g/cc, 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass content, including 3 to 10 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.15 to 0.40 percent, P-retention of 9 to 15 percent, 15-bar water retention of 3 to 8 percent for air dried samples, 3 to 12 percent rock fragments, and an apparent field estimated clay content of 5 to 12 percent. The lower part of the control section to 40 inches has less than 30 percent volcanic glass, 20 to 35 rock fragments and 6 to 12 percent clay content. Depth to a weakly to moderately cemented duripan is 20 to 40 inches and it is underlain by dense glacial till. Depth to basalt bedrock is 40 to more than 60 inches.

The Ap horizon has chroma of 2 or 3 moist. It has 5 to 10 percent pebbles and is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.

The A horizon has chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It has 5 to 15 percent pebbles and is neutral or slightly alkaline. Textures are fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam.

The Bw1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry. Chroma is 2 through 4 moist or dry. Textures are fine sandy loam, loam or very fine sandy loam and has 10 to 25 percent rock fragments.

The Bw2 horizon has value of 4 to 6 when dry and 3 to 5 moist. Chroma is 1 to 4 dry or moist. Textures are fine sandy loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam and has 20 to 35 percent rock fragments.

The 2Bk horizon has hues of 2.5Y or 10YR. Value is 5 to 7 dry and 3 to 5 moist. Chroma is 1 or 2 dry or moist. Textures are sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam and has 20 to 35 percent rock fragments. Reaction is slightly to strongly alkaline.

The 2Bkqm horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5YR. Value is 4 to 8 dry and 4 or 5 moist. Chroma is 1 to 4 dry or moist. Textures are fine sandy loam or sandy loam and contains 20 to 35 percent rock fragments. Duripan is weakly or moderately cemented.

The 2Cdk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR. Value is 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist. Chroma is 1 or 2 dry or moist. Textures are sandy loam, loam or fine sandy loam and contains 25 to 45 percent rock fragments. Reaction is moderately or strongly alkaline.

Basalt bedrock occurs below the 2Cdk layer at depths of 40 to 60 inches in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Simsfield (T) series. The Simsfield (T) series has 2 to 5 percent coarse fragments throughout the soil profile.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Touhey soils formed in ablation glacial till mixed with volcanic ash, pumice and loess in the surface over dense lodgement till on side slopes and toe slopes on plateaus. Elevations are 1,200 to 2,800 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. The climate is semiarid with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Average annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 12 inches. Average July temperature is 71 degrees F.; average January temperature is 27 degrees F. and average annual temperature is 48 to 51 degrees F. Frost-free season is about 130 to 185 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the DelRio, Heytou, Stubblefield, Strat, and Tagear soils. DelRio soils are in low positions and are deep. Heytou soils are on till plains and are skeletal and lack a duripan. Stubblefield soils are on till plains and have over 35 percent rock fragments. Strat soils are on outwash plains and lack a duripan and have over 35 percent rock fragments. Tagear soils are on till plains and have a duripan below 40 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, very slow to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability above the duripan.

USE AND VEGETATION: Touhey soils are used mostly for dryland wheat and barley production with a small amount used for livestock grazing and irrigated orchards. Vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and needleandthread. The cool phase vegetation is Idaho fescue, threetip sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and needleandthread.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Washington. The soils are extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1942.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the surface to 12 inches, a cambic horizon from 12 to 30 inches, a zone of carbonate accumulation from 30 to 38 inches, and a weakly cemented duripan from 38 to 40 inches. Dense lodgement till occurs from 40 to 60 inches. The upper 21 inches of the profile has an estimated 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass content (see additional data). The particle-size control section is the zone from 10 to 38 inches (the lower part of the A and the Bw1, Bw2 and the 2Bk horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Complete NSSL lab characterization data is available under another pedon number 90P1011. Glass grain counts are COSI = 6 and VFS = 19, estimated glass content are FS = 19 and with pumice in the profile coarse ash is estimated to be 95 percent of MS, CS, VCS fraction. Calculated glass content is 45 percent of the 0.02 to 2mm fraction.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.