LOCATION VABUS WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, amorphic Andic Haplocryods
TYPICAL PEDON: Vabus sandy loam, under a coniferous forest on a 10 percent east facing slope at an elevation of 3,510 feet. The soil was dry when described. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
0i--4 inches to 0; partially decomposed forest litter; abrupt wavy boundary. (1/2 to 5 inches thick)
E--0 to 3 inches; light gray (10YR 6/1) sandy loam, (volcanic ash) gray (10YR 5/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 5 percent pebbles; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
Bs1--3 to 8 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bs2--8 to 13 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; few fine and coarse roots; few very fine tubular pores; 35 percent pebbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BC--13 to 19 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; few very fine roots; few very irregular pores; 35 percent pebbles; 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
CB--19 to 27 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly sandy loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; few very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; 55 percent pebbles, 5 percent cobbles; NaF pH 12.0; very strongly acid (pH 5.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
Cd--27 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) dense compact glacial till that breaks to very gravelly loamy sand, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist common medium distinct mottles of yellow (10YR 7/6) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; very strongly acid (pH 5.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Kittitas County, Washington; about 6 miles southeast of Snoqualmie Pass; 1,150 feet west and 1,920 feet south of the northeast corner sec. 26, T. 22 N., R. 12 E.
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 dense, compacted glacial till is 20 to 40 inches. The upper part of the particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.60 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 and 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent for air dried samples. the lower part of the particle-size control section is dense glacial till with an estimated moist bulk density of 1.65 to 1.85 g/cc. Thickness of the spodic horizon ranges from 9 to 17 inches.
The E horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4, 5, or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry.
The Bs1 horizon has a hue of 5YR and 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist, chroma of 4 or 6 dry and moist. It is gravelly fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Reaction is extremely acid to moderately acid.
The Bs2 horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5, 6 or 7 dry, 3, 4 or 5 moist, chroma of 3 to 6 dry and moist. It is very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam, very cobbly sandy loam or very cobbly loam. It is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The BC & CB horizons have a hue of 2.5Y, 10YR, or 7.5YR, value of 5, 6, or 7 dry, 3, 4, or 5 moist, and chroma of 3, to 6 dry and moist. It is very gravelly sandy loam, extremely cobbly sandy loam, extremely stony coarse sandy loam, or extremely gravelly sandy loam. It is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Cd horizon has a hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 2 or 4 dry and moist.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Gilpar series. Gilpar soils are more than 40 inches deep to dense glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vabus soils are on mountainsides and in valleys and have 0 to 70 percent slopes. They formed in glacial till with an admixture of volcanic ash. Elevations are 2,500 to 4,800 feet. They are in marine influenced climate with relatively cool, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is 60 to 90 inches. The mean January temperature is about 26 degrees F and the mean July temperature is about 59 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F. The growing season at 28 degrees F is 110 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Domerie, Nimue, and Stirrup series and the competing Gilpar and Howson series. Domerie soils lack a spodic horizon and are more than 40 inches to phyllite or schist bedrock. Stirrup and Nimue soils have a spodic with a free iron to carbon of less than 0.2 and both are deep to rock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium to rapid runoff, moderately rapid permeability above the dense glacial till and very slow permeability below. A perched water table is above the Cd horizon from February to April.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commercial woodland, wildlife habitat and watershed. Vegetation is Pacific silver fir, western hemlock, Douglas-fir, huckleberry and rusty menziesia.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cascade Mountains of northwestern Kittitas and western Chelan Counties. This series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES PROPOSED: Kittitas County, Washington, 1976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an albic horizon from the mineral surface to 3 inches, a spodic horizon from 3 to 13 inches, and dense glacial till at 27 inches. This description reflects a change in classification due to new Spodosol keys from medial-skeletal Typic Cryorthods to medial-skeletal Andic Haplocryods.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data is available. S75WA-03701, 2, 3 SCS Riverside Laboratory. S75WA-037-1-1. Washington State University Soil Testing Laboratory.