LOCATION FREEMAN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquandic Palexeralfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Freeman ashy silt loam - cultivated, on a south-facing 5 percent slope. (When described on September 9, 2000, the soil was dry to 21 inches and slightly moist from 21 to 62 inches. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
Ap1--0 to 2 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.
Ap2--2 to 9 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky parts to moderate medium platy structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and few fine tubular pores; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 4 to 9 inches thick)
E--9 to 15 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) ashy silt loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; many very fine tubular and few fine irregular pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary.
Ec--15 to 21 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) ashy silt, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm, nonsticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine irregular pores; 1 percent very fine prominent redox concentrations and 2 percent very fine prominent iron-manganese concretions; neutral (pH 6.8); abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizons is 3 to 12 inches thick)
Bt/E--21 to 29 inches; (Bt part) 75 percent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; 10 percent distinct silt coats and 20 percent distinct clay films on ped faces; (E part) very pale brown (10YR 8/3) silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; very hard, very firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 25 percent slightly brittle; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular and common very fine irregular pores; 2 percent fine prominent iron-manganese concretions and 2 percent fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist, redox concentrations and 10 percent fine and medium prominent and distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, redox depletions; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--29 to 39 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse angular blocky structure parting to strong medium angular blocky; very hard, very firm, moderately sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots between peds; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent prominent organic stains, 20 percent distinct silt coats, and 30 percent distinct clay films on ped faces; 5 percent fine prominent iron-manganese concretions, 10 percent coarse and medium distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, redox depletions and 5 percent medium prominent brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist, redox concentrations; neutral (pH 6.8); gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--39 to 53 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots between peds; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent prominent organic stains, 10 percent distinct silt coats, and 50 percent distinct clay films on ped faces; 2 percent fine prominent iron-manganese concretions, 2 percent medium prominent brown (7.5YR 5/3) moist, redox concentrations and 5 percent medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist, redox depletions; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (11 to 22 inches thick)
Bt3--53 to 62 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist;; strong medium prismatic structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots between peds; few very fine tubular pores; 5 percent prominent organic stains, 20 percent faint light gray (10YR 7/2) moist, silt coats, and 80 percent prominent clay films on ped faces; 2 percent fine prominent iron-manganese concretions; neutral (pH 6.6).
TYPE LOCATION: Spokane County, Washington; About 5.5 miles southeast of the town of Freeman, WA; about 1.2 miles south of Elder Road on Harvard Road; about 190 feet west and 1305 feet south of the northeast corner of section 9, T. 23 N., R. 45 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:.
Mean annual soil temperature - 47 to 49 degrees F
Moisture control section - usually moist, but are dry in the moisture control section for 60 to 75 consecutive days following summer solstice in most years
Depth to the argillic - 15 to 30 inches
Particle-size control section - averages 20 to 35 percent clay in the upper part, 20 to 40 percent in the lower part
Volcanic ash influence - 7 to 21 inches thick
Estimated properties of the volcanic ash influenced layers:
Volcanic glass content - 5 to 20 percent
Acid oxalate Al + 1/2 Fe - 0.4 to 1.0 percent
Moist bulk density - 1.0 to 1.2 g/cc
15 bar water retention - 5 to 10 percent on air-dried samples
A or Ap horizon
Value - 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and moist
E or Ec horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 6 or 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 or 3 dry and 2 to 4 moist
Texture - ashy silt, ashy silt loam or silt loam
Reaction - very strongly acid to neutral
The E horizons coats peds in the upper part of the Bt horizon in some pedons.
Bt/E horizon
Hue - 10YR or 2.5Y
Value - 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry and 3 to 5 moist
Texture - silty clay loam or silt loam
Bt horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 moist
Texture - silty clay loam or silty clay
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Freeman soils are on loess hills at elevations of 2,400 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are 5 to 30 percent. These soils formed in loess of several ages. These soils have a climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The average July temperature is about 68 degrees F. The average January temperature is about 26 degrees F. The mean annual air temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is about 23 inches. The frost-free season is 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dearyton, Caldwell, and Larkin soils. Dearyton soils are fine and are on foothills and uplands. Caldwell soils have a mollic epipedon and are on flood plains. Larkin soils have a mollic epipedon and are on hills, plateaus and structural benches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are cleared and used for cropland. Small grains, peas, alfalfa, and grass are common crops. Potential natural vegetation is ponderosa pine, and scattered Douglas-fir with an understory of Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, pinegrass, sedges, rose, common snowberry, and serviceberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington and possibly northern Idaho, MLRA 9. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Spokane County, Washington
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 9 inches (Ap1 and Ap2 horizons)
Albic horizon - the zone from 9 to 21 inches(E and Ec horizons)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 0 to 21 inches (Ap1, Ap2, E, and Ec horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 21 to 62 inches (the Bt/E, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons) in which clay content does not decrease with depth.
Particle-size control section - the zone from 21 to 41 inches (Bt/E and Bt1, and part of the Bt2 horizon).
This pedon was re-described at the type location to better reflect the typical colors of the ochric epipedon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratoty data - Spokane County, Washington S01-WA-063-002; NSSL, Lincoln, NE.