LOCATION WAHPENAYO WA
Established Series
IRD. TMR/MPR
07/2017
WAHPENAYO SERIES
Landscape--Cascade Mountains
Landform--cirques, debris aprons, parklands
Slope--0 to 35 percent
Parent material--volcanic ash and colluvium
Mean annual precipitation--about 2500 mm
Mean annual air temperature--about 2 degrees C
Depth class--moderately deep
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Soil moisture regime--aquic
Soil temperature regime--cryic
Soil moisture subclass--typic
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, glassy, acid Typic Cryaquands
TYPICAL PEDON: Wahpenayo paragravelly medial sandy loam in a meadow on a northeast-facing debris apron with a slope of 10 percent and at an elevation of 1740 m (When described on August 15, 2012, the soil was slightly moist throughout.)
A1--0 to 16 cm; paragravelly medial sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pumice paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear irregular boundary
A2--16 to 45 cm; paragravelly medial sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 20 percent pumice paragravel; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary
Bg1--45 to 52 cm; medial fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine to very coarse roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 20 percent fine irregular dark gray (10YR 4/1) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 10 percent fine irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary
Bg2--52 to 64 cm; medial loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine interstitial pores; 10 percent fine irregular dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 20 percent medium irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; strongly acid (pH 5.2); abrupt wavy boundary
Bg3--64 to 75 cm; medial coarse sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent fine irregular dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 25 percent medium irregular dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary
Bg4--75 to 90 cm; medial fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; few very fine and fine irregular pores; 10 percent medium irregular dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix and 25 percent medium irregular strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; 5 percent pumice paragravel and 5 percent andesite gravel; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt irregular boundary
2R--90 cm; fractured andesite
TYPE LOCATION: Pierce County, Washington, along Sunrise Road east of Yakima Park, about 2.5 km southeast of the Sunrise Ranger Station in Mount Rainier National Park; about 185 m north and 770 m east of the southwest corner of section 36, T. 17 N., R. 9 E., Willamette Meridian; White River Park, Washington, U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle; latitude 46.909316 degrees north, longitude -121.610665 degrees west, datum WGS 84 (coordinates determined with a GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature--1 to 5 degrees C
Depth to lithologic contact--50 to 100 cm
Depth to redoximorphic iron depletions--25 to 50 cm below the soil surface
All mineral horizons
*Volcanic glass content--50 to 75 percent
*Ammonium oxalate Al plus 1/2 Fe--greater than 0.5 percent
*Reaction--5.0 to 5.5
*Clay content--1 to 10 percent
*Pararock and rock fragment content--0 to 30 percent total, with pumice paragravel typically in upper part of profile and andesite gravel or cobbles in lower part in some areas
O horizon (where present)
*In lieu of texture--slightly decomposed plant material, moderately decomposed plant material
*Thickness--0 to 4 cm
A horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--2 to 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry
*Chroma--1 to 2 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--medial sandy loam, medial loamy sand
*Pararock fragment content--10 to 30 percent pumice paragravel
*Combined thickness--25 to 50 cm
Bg1 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--medial fine sandy loam, medial sandy loam
*Pararock fragment content--0 to 15 percent pumice paragravel
*Thickness--5 to 15 cm
Bg2 and Bg3 horizons
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--3 to 5 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--3 to 6 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--medial loam, medial coarse sandy loam, medial sandy loam
*Pararock fragment content--0 to 30 percent pumice paragravel
*Combined thickness--20 to 40 cm
Bg4 horizon
*Hue--10YR, 7.5YR
*Value--2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
*Chroma--2 to 4 moist or dry
*Fine-earth texture--medial fine sandy loam, medial sandy loam, medial loamy sand
*Pararock and rock fragment content--5 to 30 percent total, including 5 to 30 percent pumice paragravel, 0 to 10 percent gravel, and 0 to 5 percent cobbles
*Thickness--10 to 20 cm
COMPETING SERIES:
Mysticlake--no lithic contact within 150 cm of the soil surface
Williwakas--no lithic contact within 150 cm of the soil surface; aquic conditions within 25 cm of the soil surface
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation--1200 to 2200 m
Climate--cool, dry summers; cold, wet winters
Mean annual precipitation--1700 to 3300 mm
Mean annual air temperature--0 to 4 degrees C
Frost-free period--30 to 60 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Mountwow--no lithic contact within 150 cm (very deep); in similar landform positions
Mysticlake--no lithic contact within 150 cm (very deep); associated with subalpine forests in similar landform positions
Unicornpeak--albic horizon; no lithic contact within 150 cm (very deep); associated with subalpine forest cover in similar landform positions
Williwakas--aquic conditions within 25 cm of the soil surface; in depressions and swales with prolonged periods of saturation
Burroughs,
Littletahoma,
Tatoosh--no aquic conditions; on steeper slopes of similar landforms
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained
Saturation in normal years--below a depth of 25 to 50 cm in December through June
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat)--high or very high throughout
USE AND VEGETATION:
Use--wildlife habitat, recreation
Potential natural vegetation--arctic lupine, black alpine sedge, smooth woodrush, Cascade huckleberry, pink mountain heather, white mountain heather, American bistort, alpine aster, American alpine speedwell, broadleaf arnica, false hellebore, Sitka valerian, and scattered subalpine fir and mountain hemlock
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Cascade Mountains, Washington; MLRA 3; small extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mount Rainier National Park, Pierce County, Washington; 2014; name from Wahpenayo Peak in Mount Rainier National Park
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and other features in this pedon
*Particle-size control section--zone from the surface to a depth of 90 cm
*Umbric epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 52 cm
*Cambic horizon--zone from 52 to 90 cm
*Andic soil properties--zone from the surface to a depth of 90 cm
*Redoximorphic iron depletions with chroma of 2 or less--zone from 45 to 90 cm
*Redoximorphic iron concentrations--zone from 45 to 90 cm
*Depth to lithic contact--90 cm
*Distinguishable tephra layers--Mount St. Helens Wn tephra (A1 horizon), Mount Rainier C tephra (A2 horizon), Mount St. Helens P set (Bg1 horizon), Mount St. Helens Yn tephra (Bg2 and Bg3 horizons), Mount Rainier F tephra (Bg4 horizon)
3/2017--This official series description was updated according to SSR1 Technical Note 11--Content and Format of Official Series Descriptions (revised 12/2015). Most of the changes were in formatting; no major technical changes were made.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.