LOCATION VAY ID+WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Vitric Haplocryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Vay medial silt loam, forest; on a north-facing slope of 48 percent at 3,700 feet elevation. When described on October 17, 1977, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; needles, leaves, and twigs.
Oe--1 to 2 inches; decomposed organic matter.
A--2 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) medial silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly medial silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many very fine, fine, and common medium and coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 20 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
2Bw2--18 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and common fine tubular pores; 40 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 18 inches thick)
2BC--27 to 44 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine, common fine, and few medium tubular pores; 60 percent pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; two clay bands 1 1/2 and 1/4 inch thick; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary. (17 to 24 inches thick)
2Cr--44 inches; weathered granite.
TYPE LOCATION: Bonner County, Idaho; approximately 2 miles southeast of Vay, about 2,300 feet west and 2,100 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 20, T. 55 N., R. 3 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture - usually dry for 25 to 45 consecutive days late July to mid-September, moist in the fall through early summer
Average annual soil temperature - 39 to 43 degrees F
Average summer soil temperature - 44 to 46 degrees F with an O horizon Depth to soft bedrock - 40 to 60 inches or more
Volcanic ash mantle - 14 to 24 inches thick
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2.0 mm fraction - 25 to 65 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al + 1/2 Fe - 2.0 to 4.0 percent
Phosphate retention - 80 to 100 percent
15-bar water retention on air dried samples - 15 to 18 percent
A horizon
Chroma - 2 through 4 dry and moist
Texture - medial silt loam, gravelly medial silt loam
Pebble content - 0 to 20 percent
Bulk density - 0.65 to 0.85 grams/cc
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral
Bw horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 through 6 dry and moist
Texture - medial silt loam, gravelly medial silt loam, cobbly medial silt loam
Rock fragments - 0 to 30 percent
Bulk density - 0.65 to 0.85 grams/cc
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral
2Bw horizon
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry and moist
Texture - GRV-L, CBV-L, GRV-SIL, CBV-SIL, GRV-SL, CBV-SL
Rock fragments - 35 to 60 percent
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral
2BC horizon
Hue - 10YR, 2.5Y
Value - 6 through 8 dry, 4 through 6 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry and moist
Texture - GRX-COSL, CBV-COSL, STV-COSL, and GRV-LCOS or CBV-LCOS in lower part of some pedons
Rock fragments - 40 to 80 percent
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral
2C horizon - present in some pedons
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 7 or 8 dry, 5 or 6 moist
Texture - CBX-LCOS, STX-LCOS
Rock fragments - 65 to 90 percent
Reaction - strongly acid to slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vay soils are on mountains and ridgetops. They formed in material derived dominantly from granite, gneiss, and schist with a thick mantle of volcanic ash. Slopes are 15 to 75 percent. Elevations are 3,200 to 6,500 feet. The climate is cold, humid with cool, moist summers and cold, wet winters. The average annual precipitation is 35 to 55 inches, and average annual air temperature is 38 to 43 degrees F. The frost-free season is 30 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ardtoo, Bouldercreek(T), Hun, Jeru, Latour, Marblecreek, and Pend Oreille soils. Ardtoo soils are frigid and not medial, and are on south-facing mountain slopes. Bouldercreek, Marblecreek, and Pend Oreille soils are frigid and very deep, and are at lower elevations. Hun soils have a volcanic ash mantle less than 12 inches thick and are at higher elevations. Jeru soils are not medial and are at higher elevations. Latour soils are very deep and ashy-skeletal, and are on similar landform positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability in the solum and moderately rapid to rapid permeability in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for timber production, wildlife habitat, livestock grazing, recreation, and watershed. Potential natural vegetation is mainly western redcedar, grand fir, Douglas-fir, western white pine, western larch, and western hemlock, with an understory of myrtle pachystima, northern twinflower, goldthread, and queencup beadlily. At higher elevations, the potential natural vegetation is subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, and mountain larch, with an understory of rustyleaf menziesia, big blueberry, western thimbleberry, Utah honeysuckle, Scouler willow, Sitka mountain ash, elk sedge, and common beargrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Idaho and eastern Washington. This soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bonner County, Idaho, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 2 to 8 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 8 to 27 inches (Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons)
Volcanic ash mantle - the zone from 2 to 18 inches (A and Bw1 horizons)
Paralithic contact - the boundary at 44 inches (2Cr horizon)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 0 to 40 inches (A, Bw1, 2Bw2, and part of the 2BC horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: There is partial laboratory data for a pedon other than the type location in the St. Joe Area. NSSL Pedon Number 92P283; Soil Survey Sample Number S92ID-079-005.