LOCATION VESTA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial over clayey, ferrihydritic over parasesquic, isomesic Typic Fulvudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Vesta medial silt loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles, twigs, and mosses; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--1 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) medial silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic and weakly smeary; many fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 16 inches thick)
Bw1--14 to 27 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) medial silty clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic and weakly smeary; common fine and very fine, few coarse roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Bw2--27 to 38 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) medial silty clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic and weakly smeary; common fine and very fine roots; many fine and very fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (9 to 14 inches thick)
2Bw3--38 to 61 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silty clay, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic and weakly smeary; common fine and very fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.8)
TYPE LOCATION: Pacific County, Washington; approximately 350 ft. on the 2515 logging road from the intersection with the G-line logging road; SW 1/4 NW 1/4 sec. 6, T. 12 N., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to basalt is more than 60 inches. The soil moisture control section is dry for less than 45 consecutive days during the summer; udic moisture regime. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. The difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is 5 to 9 degrees F. Depth to the 2Bw horizon is 29 to 40 inches. The A and Bw horizons have bulk density of 0.75 to 0.90 g/cc., phosphate retention of 85 to 95 percent and acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron of 2 to 4 percent. Acid oxalate iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent. The 15-bar water content is 15 to 25 percent on air dried samples. Soil reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid. The umbric epipedon, when present, is 10 to 16 inches thick; ochric epipedons are present in some pedons and moist chroma is 4 above 10 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 through 4 moist or dry. It has 10 to 15 percent organic matter.
The Bw and 2Bw horizons have hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. The Bw horizon is medial silt loam or medial silty clay loam with 15 to 30 percent field estimated clay. It has 1 to 10 percent organic matter with less than 7 percent below 20 inches. It has 2 to 3 cmol/kg of aluminum. The 2Bw horizon is silty clay, clay loam or silty clay loam with 35 to 55 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vesta soils have smooth landscapes on mountainous uplands. Slopes are 1 to 65 percent. The soils formed in material weathered from basalt. Elevations range from 100 to 1800 feet. These soils are in a marine climate with cool wet winters and cool dry summers. Annual precipitation ranges from 80 to 160 inches. The mean January temperature is about 38 degrees F.; mean July temperature is about 60 degrees F., and the mean annual temperature is about 46 to 48 degrees F. The growing season (28 degrees F.) is 140 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ascar, Boistfort, Knappton, Lebam, Palix, and Willapa soils. Traham soils have a medial-skeletal control section and depth to fractured basalt ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Boistfort soils have a mesic soil temperature regime. The Knappton, Lebam, Palix and Willapa soils lack the clayey textures in the subsoil.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Vesta soils are used for timber production, watershed, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Vegetation is principally a western hemlock forest with scattered Sitka spruce and western red cedar. Understory species are salal, oxalis, swordfern, brackenfern, salmonberry, red elderberry, and vine maple.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Within 15 miles of Pacific Ocean in southwestern Washington, MLRA 1. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pacific County, Washington, 1978.
ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska data available on this soil: Sample number S77WA- 25-1.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features
- The cool phase map units of this series having Pacific silver fir in the plant community are considered isofrigid.
- Umbric epipedon - 1 to 14 inches
- Cambic horizon - 14 to 61 inches
- Andic soil properties - 1 to 38 inches
- The series allows for ochric epipedons within the series range.
- All depths to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.