LOCATION WHISTLE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Dystroxerepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Whistle very gravelly loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; needles, leaves and twigs.
A--1 to 4 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) very gravelly loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak coarse granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common fine, medium and coarse roots; 55 percent angular and rounded pebbles; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bw1--4 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common fine, medium and coarse roots; 40 percent angular and rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear irregular boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bw2--13 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; 70 percent angular and rounded pebbles; a few (10%) weakly cemented fragments of glacial till; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
C1--27 to 37 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 45 percent angular and rounded pebbles; horizon is slightly compact; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
C2--37 to 50 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) extremely gravelly sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 50 percent angular and rounded pebbles, 15 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt irregular boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
R--50 inches; hard argillite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington; 700 feet east and 1,200 feet north of southwest corner, sec. 6, T. 34 N., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to hard bedrock is 40 to 60 inches. These soils are usually moist, but are dry in the moisture control section for 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 48 to 52 degrees F. Coarse fragments in the control section average from 35 to 85 percent and consist of gravel and some cobbles. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 4 moist and 4 to 8 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3 moist and dry. Some pedons have a thin A2 horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 6 moist and dry, and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. Texture is very gravelly loam, very gravelly fine sandy loam, or very gravelly sandy loam.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 moist and dry, and chroma of 2 and 4 moist or dry. Texture is very gravelly, extremely gravelly, or very cobbly sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Fidalgo and Yedlick series. Fidalgo soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches. Yedlick soils have a solum more than 40 inches thick and a volcanic ash mantle.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whistle soils are on glacially modified hills at elevations of 20 to 1,300 feet. Slopes range from 15 to 90 percent. They formed in colluvium from glacial till and argillite, serpentine or basalt with an admixture of volcanic ash and loess in the upper part. Average annual precipitation is 18 to 30 inches. The estimated average January temperature is about 36 degrees F, the estimated July temperature is about 64 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. Frost-free season is 160 to 210 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Swinomish soils and the competing Fidalgo soils. Swinomish soils are medial-skeletal and moderately deep to dense glacial till.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Woodland is principal use. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western redcedar, western hemlock, grand fir, Oregon-grape, western swordfern, and trailing blackberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Skagit County, Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skagit County, Washington, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon
cambic horizon from 4 to 27 inches.