LOCATION VABBING WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over loamy-skeletal, glassy over isotic Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Vabbing paragravelly ashy sandy loam - forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed forest litter.
Oe--1 to 4 inches; moderately decomposed organic material.
E--4 to 7 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) paragravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 15 percent pumice; NaF pH 10.0; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Bs--7 to 14 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) paragravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and medium roots; few very fine tubular pores; 25 percent pumice; NaF pH 10.5; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BC1--14 to 26 inches; white (N 8/) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) pumice paragravel, light gray (10YR 7/1) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine and medium roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 90 percent pumice; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
BC2--26 to 30 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) and reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) very paragravelly ashy coarse sand, light gray (10YR 7/1) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; many fine and medium irregular pores; 55 percent pumice; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. 3 to 5 inches thick)
2C1--30 to 40 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine irregular pores; 20 percent pebbles and 20 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
2C2--40 to 64 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) very gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine irregular pores; 30 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3).
TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; 1.5 miles north of Lake Wenatchee, about 1,000 feet east and 700 feet south of the northwest corner of section 7, T.27N., R.17E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. The soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts in the moisture control section for 15 to 30 consecutive days during the summer. Depth to the 2C horizon is 20 to 36 inches. The upper part of the particle-size control section has an estimated 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 and 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent. The upper part has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.75 to 1.00 g/cc and 35 to 80 percent pumice. The lower part of the particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.35 to 1.50 g/cc and 35 to 80 percent rock fragments and is considered loamy-skeletal. Soil reaction is moderately acid to neutral throughout.
The E horizon has value of 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 1 to 3 dry.
The Bs horizons have hue of 7.5YR, 5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, chroma of 3 or 4 dry and 3 to 8 moist. Texture is paragravelly ashy sandy loam, very paragravelly ashy sandy loam, or paragravelly ashy loamy sand.
The BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 to 8 dry and 4 to 8 moist, and chroma is 3 to 4 moist. Texture is very paragravelly or extremely paragravelly ashy sandy loam or ashy coarse sandy loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, and chroma of 2 to 4 dry or moist. It has 35 to 80 percent rock fragments. Texture is extremely stony sandy loam, very gravelly sandy loam or very stony sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the similar Cattcreek and Ethania series. Cattcreek and Ethania soils are medial-skeletal in the lower part of the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vabbing soils are on mountainsides and have slopes of 3 to 90 percent. They formed in pumice and volcanic ash overlying glacial till and colluvium from glacial till. Elevations are 2,600 to 4,400 feet. They are in climate with relatively warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is about 70 to 100 inches. The mean January temperature is about 22 degrees F and the mean July temperature is about 60 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 40 to 43 degrees F. The growing season at 28 degrees F is 100 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gilpar, Nimue, Soda, Sodacreek, and Vabus soils. Gilpar, and Vabus soils are ashy-skeletal. Soda and Sodacreek soils are medial over loamy-skeletal. Nimue soils are loamy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commercial woodland, wildlife habitat, watershed and recreation. Vegetation is Douglas-fir, Pacific silver fir, and western hemlock, with an understory of pachystima, Oregon-grape, western swordfern, and longtube twinflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cascade Mountains of western Chelan County. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 3 inch, a spodic horizon from 3 to 10 inches. The layer from 30 to 44 inches is considered to be loamy-skeletal and isotic. The contrasting family pumiceous or ashy-pumiceous over loamy-skeletal is not approved. The best series placement is to consider the loamy-skeletal and isotic layer as medial-skeletal and mixed for classification purposes.