LOCATION WYECREEK WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial-skeletal, ferrihydritic, frigid Vitric Hapludands
TYPICAL PEDON: Wyecreek extremely gravelly medial sandy loam-forestland, on a 79 percent south-southeasterly aspect at an elevation of 2,660 feet in a western hemlock/salal-Oregon-grape plant association. (When described on April 22, 1994, the soil was moist throughout. Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oi--0 to 2 inches; slightly decomposed needles, leaves, and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--2 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 55 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.8); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--7 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; many very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; 35 percent gravel, 40 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--12 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine,fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 10 to 19 inches.)
Bw3--22 to 34 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) extremely cobbly medial sandy loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky and weak very fine and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; weakly smeary; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 30 percent gravel and 50 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
R--34 inches; fractured hard metavolcanic rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Clallam County, Washington, about 3 miles north of Bigler Mountain, about 1,145 feet east and 1,935 feet north of the southwest corner of Section 21, T. 30 N., R. 11 W. (Latitude 48 degrees, 04 minutes, 48 seconds N., Longitude 124 degrees, 07 minutes, 14 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 44 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist, and are dry 30 to 45 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section; udic moisture regime. Depth to bedrock and thickness of andic soil material is 20 to 40 inches. The andic soil material has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.70 to 0.90 g/cc, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 2 to 3 percent, phosphate retention of 85 to 100 percent, a 15-bar water retention of 12 to 25 percent for air dried samples, and a 15-bar water retention of 12 to 15 percent for air dried samples with a total thickness of 10 inches or more in the subsoil. Acid oxalate extractable iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR moist and dry, and chroma of 2 or 4 moist and 3 or 4 dry. Reaction is strongly or moderately acid. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum. It has 5 to 10 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 5YR or 10YR moist and dry, value of 3 or 4 moist and 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 4 or 6 moist and dry. It is extremely cobbly medial sandy loam, extremely gravelly medial sandy loam, or extremely gravelly medial loam. It has 1 to 2 cmol/kg of aluminum. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Stormking series. Stormking soils are deep.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wyecreek soils are predominantly on glaciated mountain slopes and mountain slopes. Slopes are 20 to 100 percent. The soils formed in colluvium and residuum from marine basalt and associated volcanic rocks. Elevations are 1,250 to 2,800 feet. Average annual precipitation is 50 to 100 inches. Average annual temperature is 42 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 140 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Northpoint, Pistol, and the competing Stormking soils. Northpoint soils are on glaciated mountain slopes and mountain headwalls and are shallow. Pistol soils are on glaciated mountain slopes and are moderately well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Timber production, wildlife habitat, recreation, and watershed. Native vegetation is western hemlock, Douglas-fir, western redcedar, salal, western swordfern, Oregon-grape, red huckleberry, and baldhip rose.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Olympic Mountains, Clallam County, Washington; MLRA 1. Series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clallam County, Washington, 2000; Olympic National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are the following:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon - 7 to 34 inches
Andic soil properties - 2 to 34 inches
Lithic contact - 34 inches
PSCS - 2 to 34 inches
All depths to diagnostic horizons and other features are measured from the top of the first mineral horizon.