LOCATION WAHLUKE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Duric Torriorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wahluke very fine sandy loam, grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine roots; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
C1--10 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure;soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 22 inches thick)
IIC2cai--22 to 28 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; thinly laminated; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine tubular pores; discontinuous weakly cemented lime lenses 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick, lime silica cemented nodules and soft lime in pores; few soft powdery lime aggregates; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
IIC3casi--28 to 44 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; thinly laminated; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine tubular pores; discontinuous weakly cemented lime silica lenses 1/8 to 1/4 inches thick, and soft lime in pores; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (13 to 25 inches thick)
IIC4ca--44 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine tubular pores; common secondary lime spheroidal aggregates; strongly effervescent; strongly alkaline (pH 8.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Grant County, Washington; about 11 miles southwest of Othello; 960 feet east and 1,800 feet south of the northwest corner of section 26, T.15N., R.27E., WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to effervescent material is 5 to 10 inches. The particle size control section contains less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 50 to 56 degrees. Depth to the laminated sediments with lime cemented lenses is 15 to 30 inches.
The A horizon has value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. This horizon is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The IIC horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist,and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. The lower part of the C horizon has a dry consistence that is hard or very hard. It is silt loam and very fine sandy loam. Some pedons contain thin beds of loamy fine sand or strata containing pebbles at depths greater than 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Risbeck series in the same family and the Warden, Sagemoor and Shano series. Risbeck soils have weakly cemented lime silica fragments throughout and lack stratification in the control section. Warden, Sagemoor and Shano soils lack cemented lime lenses in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wahluke soils are on lake beds and terraces at elevations of 750to 1,200 feet. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in lacustrine sediments with a loess mantle. Wahluke soils occur in an arid climate having an annual precipitation of 6 to 9 inches and with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average January temperature is 27 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 71 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is 51 degrees F. The frost free season is 136 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hezel, Kennewick, and Royal soils and competing Warden soils. All of these soils lack lime cemented lenses in the particle size control section. Hezel soils are sandy in the upper part of the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Irrigated cropland and range. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central Washington. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grant County, Washington, 1979.
REMARKS: This series is a Xeric intergrade to the aridic moisture regime and was previously classified as Haploduridic Xeric.