LOCATION VARELUM WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Ultic Haploxeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Varelum silt loam, under a coniferous forest on a 60 percent north slope at an elevation of 1,200 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).
Oi--1 inch to 0; Undecomposed needles, twigs, and bark.
A--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; few medium tubular pores; mildly alkaline (pH 7.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AB--4 to 12 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; few medium tubular pores; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--12 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 52 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few thin clay films on faces of peds; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Cr--52 inches; partially weathered sandstone, few roots in cracks.
TYPE LOCATION: Chelan County, Washington; about 1 mile west of Dryden, Washington, 2,240 feet north and 600 feet east of southwest corner of sec. 27, T. 24 N., R. 18 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 50 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, but are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Solum thickness and depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to more than 60 inches. The particle-size control section is 20 to 35 percent clay. There is 30 to 55 percent coarser than very fine sand including 0 to 5 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section.
The A horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist.
The AB horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. Texture is silt loam or loam. It is slightly acid or neutral. Some pedons have a BA horizon.
The Bt horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam. It is slightly acid or neutral. Some pedons have a BC horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bernhill,
Boardburn,
Boomer,
Casabonne,
Centralia,
Cherryhill,
Cle Elum,
Cohasset,
Crozier,
Dalig,
Fives,
Fordcreek,
Glenview,
Gunn,
Holland,
Hood,
Hotaw,
Kalama,
Latourell,
Lettia,
McGowan,
Musick,
Norling,
Rosehaven,
Sanhedrin,
Speaker,
Teanaway,
Tigit,
Trelk,
Ulhalf,
Underwood,
Wilkeson, and
Wohly series. Bernhill soils have 10 to 35 percent rock fragments. Boardburn soils are dry for 110 to 130 consecutive days. Boomer, Casabonne, and Cohasset soils have a soil temperature of 54 to 58 degrees F. Centralia soils have an umbric epipedon. Cherryhill soils have a surface layer more than 10 inches thick, with value of 3 moist, 5 dry and chroma of 2 moist and dry and a paralithic contact at a depth about 41 inches. Cle Elum, Crozier, Hotaw, Speaker, Tigit, and Wohly soils have a paralithic or lithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Dalig, Gunn, and Trelk soils have hue of 5YR or 7.5YR in the A horizon, and Gunn soils are dry in the moisture control section for 90 to 105 consecutive days following summer solstice. Fordcreek soils have hue of 7.5YR. Fives soils are 30 to 35 percent clay and are very strongly acid in the particle-size control section. Glenview soils have a mean soil temperature of 52 to 59 degrees F, and 10 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section. Holland and Rosehaven soils have soil temperature of 52 to 58 degrees F. Hood soils have 15 to 20 percent sand coarser than very fine in the particle-size control section. Latourell soils have soil temperature of 54 to 56 degrees F. Kalama soils have a solum less than 40 inches thick and have variegated colors with a dominant chroma of 3 or less in the argillic horizon. Norling soils are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Lettia and McGowan soils have hue of 7.5YR or 5YR and are medium acid or more acid in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Musick soils have 2.5YR hue in the argillic horizon. Sanhedrin soils have a soil temperature of 52 to 57 degrees F and 15 to 35
percent rock fragments. Trelk soils have saprolitic basalt fragments in the lower part of the particle-size control section and hue redder than 10YR in the A horizon. Teanaway soils are 15 to 30 percent coarser than very fine sand and have an argillic horizon more than 44 inches thick. Ulhalf soils are more than 15 percent rock fragments. Underwood soils have hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, an argillic horizon 16 to 21 inches thick and are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Wilkeson soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section and are dry for 45 to 60 days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Varelum soils are on terraces, footslopes, sideslopes, and mountain slopes. Slopes are 3 to 65 percent. They formed in residuum and colluvium, and slope alluvium from sandstone mixed with some volcanic ash and loess. Elevation is 1,000 to 3,000 feet. They are in a climate with warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 18 to 28 inches. The mean January temperature is about 24 degrees F, and the mean July temperature is about 69 degrees F. Mean annual air temperature is 45 to 47 degrees F. The frost-free season is 150 to 185 days. The growing season at 28 degrees F is 190 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Cle Elum soils and the Blag, Nard, and Yaxing soils. Blag soils are shallow. Nard soils are frigid. Yaxing soils have a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commercial woodland, orchards, hay and pasture, wildlife habitat, recreation and watershed. Vegetation is ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir with an understory of pinegrass, ceanothus, rose, common snowberry, and elk sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in northcentral Washington, Chelan and Kittitas Counties; series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chelan County, Washington, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from 0 to 4 inches, an argillic horizon from 12 to 52 inches, and a paralithic contact with sandstone at 52 inches. Base saturation is estimated to be 50 to 75 percent in the upper 30 inches.