LOCATION ELOIKA WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy, glassy over isotic, frigid Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Eloika silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; loose, partially decomposed organic litter of needles, leaves, and twigs; moderately acid (pH 6.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--1 to 1.25 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy very fine sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt smooth boundary. ( 0 to 1/2 inch thick)
Bw1--1.25 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 3 percent rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
Bw2--4 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) ashy silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 5 percent rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 15 inches thick)
2BC--15 to 25 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; 10 percent rounded pebbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (9 to 13 inches thick)
2C1--25 to 45 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; common medium distinct mottles of brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine pores; two irregular wavy brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist bands 1/4 inch thick; 25 percent rounded pebbles and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.5) clear wavy boundary. (18 to 24 inches thick)
2C2--45 to 54 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; many medium distinct mottles of brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; massive, hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few roots; common very fine pores; 40 percent rounded pebbles and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
3C3--54 to 60 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly coarse sand; many large mottles of reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist, in the upper few inches of the horizon; sand predominantly of metamorphic origin, some with coatings that effervesce with dilute HCL, and most with sandy loam coatings and interstitial material; single grain; loose; very few roots; 50 percent rounded pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.4)
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 2,600 feet north and 2,200 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 36, T. 30 N., R. 42 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil is usually moist in all horizons but is dry in all parts between depths of 8 and 24 inches for 45 to 60 consecutive days during the summer and autumn. Mean annual soil temperature ranges from 45 to 47 degrees F. The upper 14 to 20 inches of the particle-size control section has from 35 to 60 percent volcanic glass and 0 to 25 percent rock fragments. The lower part of the control section has from 25 to 50 percent particles coarser than fine sand, less than 18 percent clay in the fine earth fraction, and has 20 to 35 percent rock fragments. The soil is neutral or slightly acid.
The E horizon has a value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry or moist.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 through moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. It is silt loam or loam. This horizon has fine or medium granular or fine or medium subangular blocky structure.
The 2BC horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and a chroma of 3 or 4 dry and moist. It is medium or coarse, subangular blocky or prismatic structure.
The 2C horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist. It is loam or sandy loam with 20 to 30 percent pebbles and 0 to 5 percent cobbles to a depth of 40 inches. It has 20 to 50 percent pebbles, 5 to 15 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones below 40 inches.
The 3C horizon is loamy sand, coarse sand, or sand with 35 to 70 percent rock fragments.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Louploup and Tillicum series. Louploup soils are dry for 75 to 90 consecutive days and have a 2Cd horizon. Tillicum soils are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Eloika soils are on glacial outwash terraces, terrace breaks, and till plains at elevations of 1,800 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are smooth, rolling, or undulating and range from 0 to 40 percent. These soils formed in gravelly glacial outwash or ablation till or both with a mantle of volcanic ash and loess. Eloika soils are in a continental climate having warm dry summers and cool moist winters. The mean January temperature is about 25 degrees F, and the mean July temperature is about 67 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is about 45 to 47 degrees F. Annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 28 inches. The frost-free season ranges from 90 to 110 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aits, Clayton, Laketon, Merkel, Nevine, Waits, and the competing Bonner soils. Aits and Waits soils have a mantle of volcanic ash 7 to 14 inches thick. Clayton soils a influence of volcanic ash 7 inches thick with 5 to 20 percent volcanic glass. Laketon soils have a fine-silty control section. Merkel and Nevine soils have a loamy-skeletal control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily for timber production, wildlife habitat, and recreation. Some areas are cultivated for production of small grains, alfalfa, hay, and grasses; or are used for grazing. Overstory vegetation is Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, western larch and grand fir. Understory vegetation is mallow, ninebark, Oregon-grape, snowbrush ceanothus, snowberry, and wild rose. Ground vegetation is kinnikinnick, myrtle pachystima, strawberry, pinegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington and northern Idaho. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington, l961.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the mineral surface to 4 inches and a cambic horizon from 4 to 25 inches. The upper 14 to 20 inches has an estimated moist bulk density of less than 0.9 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 0.4 to 1.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of less than 12 percent for air dried samples. The E horizon is assumed to be younger volcanic ash (Mt. St. Helens 'T' or 'W') and not related to any spodic horizon. This description reflects a change in classification from Ashy over loamy, mixed, frigid Typic Vitrixerands to Ashy over loamy, glassy over isotic, frigid Typic Vitrixerands.