LOCATION WAITS WA+MT
Established Series
Rev. NCD/BDG/RJS
01/2016
WAITS SERIES
The Waits series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in calcareous glacial till with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess. These soils are on moraines and have slopes of 0 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 700 mm, and the mean annual temperature is about 6.7 degrees C.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Vitrandic Haploxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Waits ashy loam - forested. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 4 cm; loose, partially decomposed organic litter composed of needles, leaves, and twigs; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 cm thick)
E--4 to 5 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (.3 to 3 cm thick)
Bw1--5 to 22 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) ashy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; many fine pores; 5 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)
Bw2--22 to 47 cm; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) ashy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; many fine pores; 10 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 cm thick)
2BC--47 to 62 cm; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; many fine pores; 15 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 28 cm thick)
2C1--62 to 95 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium, and few coarse roots; common fine pores; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (25 to 38 cm thick)
2C2--95 to 152 cm; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2)
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; about 4 miles NW of Colville; 1,300 feet (395 m) north and 1,300 feet (395 m) east of the southwest corner of section 20, T. 36 N., R. 40 E., WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime - xeric (These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts between depths of 10 and 30 cm from 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice.)
Mean annual soil temperature - 6.7 to 7.8 degrees C.
Vitrandic material*
*Thickness - 18 to 45 cm
* 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass
*acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron - 0.4 to 1.0 percent
*15-bar water retention of less than 12 percent (air dried samples)
E horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 1 or 2 dry or moist
Bw1, Bw2 horizons
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR dry or moist
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy very fine sandy loam, ashy loam, or ashy silt loam
Rock fragment content - gravel 5 to 15 percent; cobbles and stones 0 to 5 percent
Reaction - 6.6 to 7.8
2BC horizon
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content - gravel 15 to 30 percent; cobbles and stones 0 to 5 percent
Reaction - 7.6 to 8.4
2C1, 2C2 horizons
Value - 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content - gravel 15 to 32 percent; cobbles and stones 0 to 5 percent
Reaction - 7.6 to 8.4
COMPETING SERIES:
Leadpoint (WA) - moderately deep to a paralithic contact
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms - moraines
Elevations - 610 to 1,245 meters
Slopes - 0 to 65 percent
Parent material - formed in calcareous glacial till with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess
Climate - warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters
Mean annual precipitation - 500 to 900 mm
Mean January temperature - about -5.0 degrees C.
Mean July temperature - about 18.9 degrees C.
Mean annual air temperature - 6.1 to 7.2 degrees C.
Frost-free season - 90 to 115 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Ahren,
Belzar,
Bonner,
Donavan,
Eloika,
Nevine,
Smackout, and the competing
Aits soils. Ahren and Smackout soils are fine-loamy. Belzar and Nevine soils are loamy-skeletal. Bonner soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Donavan soils have a mollic epipedon and a mesic soil temperature regime. Eloika soils are medial over loamy and a mesic soil temperature regime.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate saturated hydraulic conductivity.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly timber with cleared areas used for hay, pasture, and grain. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, western larch, grand fir, quaking aspen, Rocky Mountain maple, kinnikinnick, strawberry, redstem ceanothus, pinegrass, wild rose, hazelnut, Oregon-grape, and mallow ninebark.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington and Northwestern Montana. The series is of moderate extent. MLRAs - 43A, 44A
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, l913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - from 0 to 5 cm (Oe, E horizons)
Vitrandic feature - from 4 to 47 cm (E, Bw1, Bw2)
Cambic horizon - from 5 to 62 cm (Bw1, Bw2, 2BC horizons)
Particle size control section - from 29 to 104 cm (part of Bw2, 2BC, 2C1, part of 2C2 horizons)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.