LOCATION VAN NOSTERN WA
Established Series
Rev. TLA/RJE/RWL
09/2019
VAN NOSTERN SERIES
Landscape--plateaus, canyonlands
Landform--structural benches, canyons
Slope--0 to 30 percent
Parent material--loess over basalt
Mean annual precipitation--about 360 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 9 degrees C
Depth class--moderately deep
Drainage class--well drained
Soil moisture regime--xeric
Soil temperature regime--mesic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Van Nostern silt loam in an area of rangeland, on a 3-percent, southeast-facing slope at an elevation of 950 m
A1--0 to 15 cm; silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary
A2--15 to 28 cm; silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores and few very fine irregular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); clear smooth boundary
BAt--28 to 48 cm; silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary
Bt1--48 to 71 cm; silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; common faint clay films on ped faces; neutral (pH 6.6); clear smooth boundary
Bt2--71 to 86 cm; silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few faint clay films on ped faces; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary
2R--86 cm; basalt
TYPE LOCATION: Klickitat County, Washington, about 1.5 km west of Cleveland; about 6 m south and 610 m east of the northwest corner of section 36, T. 6 N., R. 19 E.; latitude 45 degrees, 58 minutes, 6 seconds north and longitude 120 degrees, 22 minutes, 24 seconds west
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture control section--usually moist, but dry 90 to 105 consecutive days following summer solstice
Mean annual soil temperature--9 to 11 degrees C
Depth to bedrock--50 to 100 cm
Clay content in particle-size control section--averages 18 to 27 percent
Thickness of mollic epipedon--50 to 75 cm
A horizon
Value--4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3.
Combined thickness--18 to 58 cm
BAt horizon
Value--4 or 5 dry
Chroma--2 or 3 dry or moist
Structure--prismatic, subangular blocky
Reaction--6.6 to 7.8
Thickness--18 to 30 cm
Bt horizon
Value--4 to 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma--3 or 4 dry or moist
Structure--prismatic, subangular blocky
Reaction--6.6 to 7.8
Gravel content in lower part--0 to 5 percent
Combined thickness--15 to 46 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Hanning--100 to 150 cm or more (deep or very deep) to a cemented pan; dry 70 to 80 consecutive days following summer solstice
Hendricks--no lithic contact within a depth of more than 150 cm (very deep); dry 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice; calcareous lake sediment at a depth of more than 120 cm in some pedons
Mohler--no lithic contact within a depth of more than 150 cm (very deep); dry 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--550 to 1225 m
Climate--warm, dry summers; cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation--310 to 380 mm
Mean January air temperature--about -3 degrees C
Mean July air temperature--about 18 degrees C
Mean annual air temperature--about 8 to 10 degrees C
Frost-free season--110 to 165 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Bakeoven--10 to 25 cm (very shallow) to a lithic contact (basalt); on uplands
Bickleton--fine-loamy particle-size class; 100 to 150 cm (deep) to a lithic contact (basalt); free carbonates within a depth of 100 cm; on uplands
Morrow--secondary carbonates at a depth of 25 to 50 cm; on uplands and plateaus
Onyx--coarse-silty particle-size class; no lithic contact within a depth of more than 150 cm; on flood plains and fans
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--crop and pasture production, livestock grazing
Native vegetation--Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, eriogonum, hawksbeard, antelope bitterbrush
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and south-central Washington; MLRA 8; moderate extent
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington; 1998
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon
*Mollic epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 71 cm
*Argillic horizon--zone from 28 to 86 cm
*Depth to lithic contact--86 cm
*Particle-size control section--zone from 28 to 78 cm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.