LOCATION CLERF WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Aridic Palexerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Clerf very cobbly clay loam - under a cover of grasses and sagebrush on a 20 percent southeast-facing slope at an elevation of 2,460 feet. The soil was moist when described. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 9 inches; brown (l0YR 5/3) very cobbly clay loam, dark brown (l0YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; l5 percent pebbles, 35 percent surface cobbles; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 14 inches thick)
2Bt1--9 to 12 inches; dark yellowish brown (l0YR 4/4) very cobbly clay, dark yellowish brown (l0YR 3/4) moist; strong medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine irregular pores; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; common distinct clay films on rock fragments; 20 percent pebbles, 20 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2); clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--12 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (l0YR 4/4) very cobbly clay, dark yellowish brown (l0YR 3/4) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; continuous prominent clay films on faces of peds and many prominent clay films on rock fragments; 20 percent pebbles, 30 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 7.2). (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 12 to 28 inches)
3R--24 inches; fractured basalt.
TYPE LOCATION: Kittitas County, Washington; about 4 miles southeast of Kittitas; l,800 feet north and 200 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 28, T. 17N., R. 20E.; USGS East Kittitas Topographic quadrangle; Lat. 46 degrees 55' 55'' N. and Long. 120 degrees 19' 33'' W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The average annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 54 degrees F. The particle-size control section averages 47 to 60 percent clay in the fine earth fraction and 40 to 65 percent rock fragments by volume. Depth to a lithic contact ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The upper part of the argillic horizon is clayey with an increase of at least 15 percent clay, absolute, within a vertical distance of 1 inches. These soils are dry more than half of the time in the moisture control section when the soil temperature at a depth of 20 inches is above 40 degrees F. Base saturation throughout the profile is assumed to be more than 75 percent.
The A horizon has hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. A thin ash cap of l/8 to l/2 inch, l980 Mt. St. Helens volcanic ash is in some pedons. Some pedons have a very cobbly or very gravelly clay loam AB horizon.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of l0YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. It is very gravelly, very cobbly, extremely gravelly loam or extremely cobbly modified clay or clay loam textures. It has moderate or strong subangular blocky or prismatic structure. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Antoken and Wipple series. Antoken and Wipple soils are more than 40 inches to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clerf soils are on hillslopes and ridgetops and have slopes of 3 to 70 percent. They formed in residuum and alluvium from basalt with additions of loess. Elevations are l,700 to 2,900 feet. These soils are in a semiarid climate with warm, dry summers and cold, moist winters. The average annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 12 inches. The average January temperature is about 25 degrees F, the average July temperature is about 69 degrees F, and the average annual temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free season is l30 to l70 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bakeoven, Cheviot, Grinrod, Horseflat, Lickskillet, Ralock, and Vantage soils. Bakeoven soils are on ridgetops and are 4 to 10 inches to bedrock. Cheviot and Grinrod soils are on hillslopes and loamy-skeletal. Cheviot soils are also deep. Horseflat and Lickskillet soils are on hillslopes, loamy skeletal and l0 to 20 inches to bedrock. Ralock soils are fine-loamy and deep. Vantage soils are on ridgetops and 10 to 20 inches deep to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to a very rapid runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is bluebunch wheatgrass, Wyoming big sagebrush, Sandberg bluegrass and arrowleaf balsamroot.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Kittitas County, Washington. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittitas County, Washington, Yakima Training Center, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the mineral surface to 9 inches, an argillic horizon from 9 to 24 inches, and a lithic contact at 24 inches. The argillic horizon has more than 15 percent clay than the horizon above (absolute) and has an abrupt boundary. Clay mineralogy based on Lab Data on the associated Vantage series.