LOCATION FARWAY WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, glassy over isotic, frigid Typic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Farway gravelly ashy sandy loam, on a northeast facing 40 percent slope at an elevation of 3,300 feet in a Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine forest. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; moderately decomposed needles and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; many very fine and fine roots; common fine and very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 10 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; many very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common fine and very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--10 to 21 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic and weakly smeary; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; common fine and very fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (combined Bw horizon thickness is 12 to 23 inches)
2C--21 to 61 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots in the upper part; common very fine and fine irregular pores; 40 percent subangular gravel and 10 percent subangular cobbles; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Okanogan County, Washington; about 7 miles west northwest of Winthrop, Wa., about 2,200 feet west and 300 feet south of the northeast corner of section 27, T. 35 N., R. 20 E. (Latitude 48 degrees, 30 minutes, 43 seconds N., Longitude 120 degrees, 19 minutes, 28 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 42 to 47 degrees F. These soils are usually moist but are dry in all parts of the moisture control section 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. The mantle of volcanic ash ranges from 16 to 30 inches thick. The upper part of the particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.75 to 0.90 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 30 to 60 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half of the acid-oxalate extractable iron of 1.0 to 2.0 percent, 15-bar water retention of 5 to 12 percent for air dried samples, and has 10 to 35 percent rock fragments. The lower part of the particle-size control section is 2 to 10 percent clay and 20 to 30 percent silt and 35 to 75 percent rock fragments. Some pedons have a thin C (Mt. St. Helens "W" ash) immediately below the organic layer. Reaction is slightly acid to neutral.
The A horizon has value of 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist.
The Bw horizon has chromas of 3 or 4 moist. It is gravelly ashy sandy loam, or ashy sandy loam. It has 10 to 30 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles.
The 2C horizon has values of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chromas of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is very gravelly sandy loam, very cobbly sandy loam or extremely gravelly sandy loam. It has 30 to 55 percent gravel and 5 to 30 percent cobbles and 0 to 10 percent stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brannon, Capoose, Crackler, Elbowlake, Kellerbutte, Natapoc, Nevine, Olot, Rouen, Saska and Vingulch series. Brannon and Saska soils are dry for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Capoose, Olot, and Rouen soils are 20 to 40 inches to bedrock. Crackler soils are dry in the moisture control section for 45 to 60 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Elbowlake soils are 35 to 60 percent channery metasedimentary rock fragments and 30 to 50 percent silt in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Kellerbutte soils have loam and silt loam volcanic ash mantles. Natapoc and Nevine soils have 2Cd horizons. Vingulch soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Farway soils are on backslopes and footslopes of mountains. Elevations range from 2,400 to 4,900 feet. Slope are 15 to 65 percent. These soils formed in volcanic ash over colluvium and some glacial till from sedimentary and volcanic rock sources. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The average annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 24 inches. The average January temperature ranges from 22 to 26 degrees F.; the average July temperature ranges from 62 to 67 degrees F.; and the average annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 44 degrees F. The frost-free season is 90 to 115 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buckrock, Gatewall, and Veridge soils. The Buckrock soils are on open shoulders and ridges and are mesic. The Gatewall soils are on backslopes and are cryic. The Veridge soils are on backslopes and shoulders and have bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium to rapid runoff; moderately rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, wildlife habitat, watershed, recreation, and livestock grazing. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine with an understory of pinegrass, shinyleaf spirea, silky lupine, mountainlover, kinnikinnik and Scouler willow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral Washington. This series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Okanogan National Forest, Okanogan County, Washington, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon
Cambic horizon formed in volcanic ash - 5 to 21 inches (Bw horizons)
PSCS - zone from 1 to 41 inches (A, Bw1, Bw2, and part of 2C horizon)