LOCATION VOLPERIE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Andic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Volperie sandy loam - under coniferous forest on a 60 percent concave east-facing slope at an elevation of 3,500 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. When described the soil was dry. All textures are apparent field textures.)
0i--1 inch to 0; forest litter. (1/2 to 1 inch thick).
A--0 to 7 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 10 percent hard angular quartz pebbles, 30 percent soft phyllite and schist fragments, (NaF pH 10.5) medium acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary; (7 to 13 inches thick).
2Bw--7 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and few medium roots; few very fine irregular pores; 10 percent hard angular quartz pebbles, 30 percent weathered phyllite and schist fragments, (NaF pH 10.5) medium acid (pH 5.8); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
2C--15 to 37 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) gravelly loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 25 percent hard angular quartz pebbles, 5 percent hard angular quartz cobbles, 50 percent weathered phyllite and schist fragments; (NaF pH 9.4) medium acid (pH 5.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (18 to 22 inches thick)
Cr--37 inches; bedded phyllite and mica schist.
TYPE LOCATION: Kittitas County, Washington; about 5 miles south of Cle Elum; 1700 feet south and 1800 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 22, T. 19 N. R. 15 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature at 20 inches ranges from 45 to 47 degrees F. The soils are usually moist, but are dry in all parts in the moisture control section for 60 to 75 consecutive days during summer and fall. The upper 7 to 13 inches of the pedon has more than 60 percent volcanic ash in the fine earth fraction. Depth to paralithic contact ranges from 30 to 40 inches. Reaction ranges from medium acid to slightly acid. The control section averages 40 to 65 percent sand, 5 to 15 percent clay and 5 to 15 percent mica by weight in the fine earth fraction.
The A horizon has a value of 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist. It averages 5 to 10 percent hard quartz pebbles and 5 to 15 percent weathered phyllite and schist fragments.
The Bw horizon has a value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It averages 5 to 20 percent hard quartz pebbles and 30 to 50 percent weathered phyllite and schist fragments. It is loam, gravelly sandy loam, or sandy loam.
The 2C horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, chroma of 2 through 4 dry and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist. It averages 5 to 25 percent hard quartz pebbles, 0 to 5 percent hard quartz cobbles and 30 to 60 percent weathered phyllite and schist fragments. It is gravelly loam, sandy loam, or gravelly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Aits, Leadpoint, Moonville, Moscow, Moso, Ojibway, Roslyn, and Waits series. Aits, Moonville, Moso, Roslyn, and Waits soils are more than 40 inches deep. Leadpoint soils are neutral or mildly alkaline throughout and have value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 or 1 moist throughout. Moscow soils have less than 5 percent mica and have 5 to 35 percent fine granitic pebbles in the particle-size control section. Ojibway soils have a hue of 5YR or 7.5YR in the B horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Volperie soils are on hummocky mountain sides and have slopes of 5 to 60 percent. They formed in phyllite and mica schist and a mantle of volcanic ash. Elevations are 2,200 to 4,100 feet. The soils are in a continental climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters, The average annual precipitation is 30 to 50 inches. The mean January temperature is about 26 degrees F; mean July temperature is about 65 degrees F; and the mean annual temperature is 43 to 45 degrees F. The growing season at 28 degrees is 145 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the proposed Currier, Terence, Teanaway, and Yahne. Currier and Terence soils are medial-skeletal and cryic. Teanaway soils are fine-loamy. Yahne soils are clayey-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commercial woodland, recreation, wildlife habitat and watershed. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western larch, grand fir, and ponderosa pine with an understory of Oregon-grape, common snowberry, pachystima, and huckleberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in west central Kittitas County. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittitas County, Washington, 1936.
REMARKS: Partial laboratory data are available on this soil. Number S80WA-037-7-2,3, Sample Numbers 80P2117-2118 National Soil Survey Lab, Lincoln, Nebraska. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the mineral surface to 7 inches, a cambic horizon from 7 to 15 inches, and a paralithic contact at 37 inches. The upper 7 inches to more than 60 percent is volcanic ash.