LOCATION ZYMER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, glassy over mixed, superactive, mesic Humic Udivitrands
TYPICAL PEDON: Zymer sandy loam - Forested, on a 50 percent northwest-facing backslope at an elevation of 1,200 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oi--3 inches to 0; slightly decomposed leaves, needles, twigs and moss.
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) sandy loam (volcanic ash and cinders), dark brown (10YR 4/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent pumice and 5 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0), (NaF pH 12.0); clear wavy boundary.
A2--4 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) loamy sand (volcanic ash and cinders), brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 10 percent pumice and 5 percent pebbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0), (NaF pH 11.5); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 15 inches)
Bw--10 to 22 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) paragravelly loamy sand (volcanic ash and cinders), very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many fine irregular pores; 15 percent pumice and 5 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4), (NaF pH 10.5); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
2BC--22 to 28 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) very gravelly loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common very fine and fine roots; many fine irregular pores; 5 percent pumice and 40 percent pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2), (NaF pH 10.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)
2C1--28 to 47 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) extremely gravelly loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; few very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 50 percent pebbles, 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.4), (NaF pH 10.5); clear wavy boundary. (17 to 22 inches thick)
2C2--47 to 60 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) extremely gravelly loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) dry; massive; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic, weakly smeary; common fine irregular pores; 65 percent pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.1), (NaF pH 9.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Skamania County, Washington; about 600 feet north and 100 feet east of the southwest corner of section 31, T. 7 N., R. 5 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F. These soils are dry in the moisture control section for less than 45 days following the summer solstice. The umbric epipedon is 10 to 14 inches thick. The ashy mantle is 16 to 30 inches thick and contains more than 60 percent volcanic ash and pumice. The upper part of the particle-size control section has 5 to 25 percent pumice fragments and ash and pumice. Rock fragments in the lower part of the control section range from 35 to 80 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry. Reaction is slightly acid or moderately acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is loamy sand, sandy loam, paragravelly loamy sand or paragravelly sandy loam. Reaction is moderately acid or strongly acid.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. Pebbles range from 35 to 65 percent and cobbles from 0 to 15 percent. Reaction is moderately acid or strongly acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry and chroma of 4 to 6 moist and dry. It is loam or clay loam. Pebbles range from 40 to 65 percent, cobbles from 0 to 15 percent and stones from 0 to 5 percent. Reaction is moderately acid or strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Wizard series in a similar family. Wizard soils have a frigid soil temperature regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Zymer soils are on backslopes and ridgetops of mountains at elevations of 800 to 1,800 feet. Slopes are 2 to 90 percent. They formed in colluvium from volcanic ash and basic igneous rock, including porphoritic andesite and olivine basalt, with a mantle of aerially deposited volcanic ash. The climate is marine with cool, wet winters and warm, moist summers. Average annual precipitation is 90 to 120 inches. Average January temperature is about 38 degrees F.; average July temperature is 64 degrees F.; average annual temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. The frost-free season is 110 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cinnamon, Swift, and Yalelake soils. Cinnamon soils lack an umbric epipedon and are frigid. Swift soils are frigid. Yalelake soils are ashy over medial.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, recreation, wildlife habitat and watershed. Native vegetation is mainly Douglas-fir and western hemlock, and minor amounts of western redcedar, red alder, and bigleaf maple. The understory is vine maple, thimbleberry, red huckleberry, western swordfern, trailing blackberry, Oregon oxalis, and pearly everlasting.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Skamania County, Clark and Cowlitz Counties, Washington. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Skamania County, Washington, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an umbric epipedon from the mineral surface to 10 inches and a cambic horizon from 22 to 28 inches. The soil to 22 inches is dominantly volcanic ash and pumice and has andic properties. This description reflects a change in classification based on 1998 Keys to Taxonomy. Classification changed 7/98.