LOCATION BARNESTON WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Barneston gravelly silt loam- on a 3 percent linear slope under a forest canopy. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
0--l inch to 0; decomposed needles and twigs.
A--0 to 2 inches; black (l0YR 2/l) gravelly silt loam, dark grayish brown (l0YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent rounded pebbles; medium acid (pH 5.8); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bs1--2 to 5 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) gravelly loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; common very fine roots; common fine irregular pores; 20 percent rounded shot-like aggregates; 25 percent rounded pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bs2--5 to l8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; weak fine granular structure, soft, very friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic, weakly smeary; few fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; l5 percent rounded shot- like aggregates; 35 percent rounded pebbles; 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to l4 inches thick)
2C--l8 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (l0YR 5/4) extremely gravelly sand, light yellowish brown (l0YR 6/4) dry; single grain; loose; many fine irregular pores; 50 percent rounded pebbles, 20 percent cobbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Skagit County, Washington; about 2 miles northeast of Hamilton, Washington; l,620 feet north and 860 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 6, T. 35 N., R. 7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 52 degrees. Solum thickness ranges from l3 to 25 inches. Solum depth ranges from l3 to 20 inches. These soils are usually moist, but are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days following summer solstice. Reaction is medium acid or strongly acid. Rock fragments average 35 to 75 percent in the particle-size control section.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR; value of 2 through 5 moist, 4 through 7 dry; and chroma 1 through 4 moist and dry. Some pedons have an E horizon.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or l0YR; value of 3 through 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry; and chroma of 3 through 6 moist and dry. Below depth of l0 inches, it is very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly loam, or sandy loam. Rock fragments average 35 to 75 percent. The upper 10 cm averages 4 to 6 percent organic carbon.
The 2C horizon has hue of l0YR, 2.5Y or 5Y; value and chroma are variable. It is very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly coarse sand, sand, or loamy coarse sand. Rock fragments average 40 to 80 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Everett soils and the similar Skykomish soils. Everett soils are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days. Skykomish soils are frigid.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Barneston soils are on glacial outwash terraces and terrace escarpments. Elevation is 250 to l,400 feet. Slopes are 0 to 65 percent. The soils formed in glacial outwash, volcanic ash, and loess. The average annual precipitation is 50 to 75 inches. Average January temperature is about 37 degrees F.; average July temperature is about 65 degrees F; and the mean annual air temperature is 46 to 5l degrees F. The frost-free season is l60 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Birdsview, Blethen, Greenwater, Indianola, Nargar, Ragnar, Tokul and Winston series. The Birdsview, Greenwater, Indianola, and Ragnar soils are sandy. Blethen soils are loamy-skeletal. Nargar soils are sandy. Tokul soils have a duripan at 20 to 40 inches. Winston soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained; slow to medium runoff. Moderately rapid permeability in the subsoil and very rapid in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western redcedar, red alder, and bigleaf maple, with an understory of Oregon- grape, salal, western swordfern, western brackenfern, red huckleberry, creambush oceanspray, trailing blackberry, bedstraw, longtube twinflower, broadleaf starflower, evergreen huckleberry, Pacific dogwood, Pacific yew, and vine maple.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Washington. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pierce County, Washington, l939.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy. Estimated 5 to 20 percent volcanic glass and 1.0 to 2.0 percent Al + 1/2 Fe by acid-oxalate extract. Laboratory data are available on 2 pedons Lab Numbers S71WA27-3, 278-283 and S71WA27-4, 284-289. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 2 inches and a cambic horizon from 2 to 18 inches.