LOCATION WHITEYE WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Vitritorrandic Durixerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Whiteye ashy fine sandy loam - cropland, wheat summerfallow, on a 3 percent slope at an elevation of 2,360 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures and spot plate reaction is used for pH values.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) ashy fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine irregular pores; 10 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
2Bt1--7 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine roots; many very fine and few fine tubular and few very fine irregular pores; very few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains on faces of peds; common faint stress surfaces on faces of peds; neutral (pH 7.0); clear smooth boundary.
2Bt2--12 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular and common very fine irregular pores; very few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint clay bridges between sand grains on faces of peds; common distinct stress surfaces on faces of peds; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 3 to 15 inches)
3Bkqm1--18 to 22 inches; white (10YR 8/1) indurated duripan, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) moist; massive; many faint silica coatings on the upper duripan surface; many distinct, nearly continuous calcium carbonate coatings covering all surfaces, violently effervescent; few subangular and angular basalt pebbles encased within the duripan; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
3Bkqm2--22 to 27 inches; thin stratified layers of weakly to moderately cemented duripan interspersed with thin layers of silt loam and gravelly silt loam; violently effervescent; abrupt wavy boundary.
4R--27 inches; basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Washington; approximately 8 miles northeast of Waterville; about 150 feet south and 400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 2, T. 25 N., R. 23 E. (Latitude 47 degrees 41 minutes 58 seconds N, Longitude 119 degrees 54 minutes 00 seconds W)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 50 to 52 degrees F. These soils are usually dry in the moisture control section for more than half the cumulative time when the soil temperature is above 41 degrees F. The mollic epipedon and depth to the argillic horizon is 7 to 10 inches thick. The upper 7 to 10 inches profile has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.10 to 1.35 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, including 10 to 20 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.15 to 0.40 percent, 15-bar water retention of 5 to 10 percent, and an apparent field estimated clay content of 5 to 12 percent. The particle-size control section has 9 to 18 percent clay, 15 percent or more fine sand or coarser, 0 to 15 percent rock fragments including duripan fragments, and 0 to 30 percent volcanic glass including 0 to 10 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter. Depth to the indurated duripan is 10 to 20 inches. Basalt bedrock underlies the duripan at 20 to 40 inches.
The Ap horizon chroma is 2 or 3 dry.
The 2Bt1 horizon value is 3 or 4 moist. The chroma is 3 or 4 dry or moist. The texture is silt loam or loam. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The 2Bt2 horizon value is 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist. The chroma is is 3 or 4 dry or moist. The texture is silt loam or loam. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The 3Bkqm horizon has a value of 7 or 8 moist and a chroma of 1 or 2 moist. The duripan is cemented with silica and calcium carbonate and is fractured with average duripan plates measuring 4 to 14 inches in width and 1 to 4 inches in thickness.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Statz series. Statz soils lack an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whiteye soils are on interfluves and side slopes on plateaus. Slopes are 0 to 15 percent. Whiteye soils formed in volcanic ash primarily from the G and B eruptions of Glacier Peak 12,750 to 11,250 years ago mixed with post-Wisconsin age loess over Wisconsin and pre-Wisconsin age loess over indurated duripan. Elevation is 1,900 to 2,800 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 9 to 12 inches. Average January air temperature is about 27 degrees F., average July air temperature is about 71 degrees F., and average annual air temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. Frost-free season is 130 to 180 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aarup, Deercut, Sprauer, Toler, and Winblow soils. Aarup soils are on summits, hill slopes and toe slopes on plateaus. Deercut soils are on side slopes and toe slopes on plateaus and are moderately deep to indurated duripan. Sprauer soils are on uplands and are moderately deep to thick indurated duripan. Toler soils are on uplands and are moderately deep to basalt bedrock. Winblow soils are on uplands and are moderately deep to basalt bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very slow to slow runoff; moderate permeability above the duripan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Whiteye soils are primarily used for wheat and barley production. Small areas are used for livestock grazing or wildlife habitat. The potential native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Thurber needlegrass, Sandberg bluegrass, stiff sagebrush, and Wyoming big sagebrush.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Washington. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Washington, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from 0 to 7 inches, with an estimated 30 to 60 percent volcanic glass and 10 percent sand-size pumice, 0.5 to 2.0 mm. in diameter. A coarse-loamy argillic horizon from 7 to 18 inches, and an indurated lime-silica duripan at 18 inches. The particle size control section is the zone from 7 to 18 inches (the 2Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons). The sand-size pumice is white, gray or yellowish brown.