LOCATION HUNTERS WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hunters ashy silt loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; many fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 8 inches thick)
A--6 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) ashy silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine roots; common fine pores; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--12 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) ashy silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
Bk1--20 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine and fine pores; calcium carbonate segregations in pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bk2--33 to 40 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine pores; calcium carbonate segregations in pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
C1--40 to 48 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
C2--48 to 65 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; moderate thin platy rock-like structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Ferry County, Washington; 3,036 feet west and 2,640 feet north of southeast corner, section 12. T.39N., R.33E. (Latitude 48 degrees, 53 minutes, 32 seconds north, Longitude 118 degrees, 34 minutes, 57 seconds west).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: usually moist but are dry in the moisture control section for 75 to 90 days following summer solstice; xeric soil moisture regime
Soil temperature: mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F.
Vitrandic soil properties: upper 18 to 34 inches of the solum has an estimated moist bulk density of 1.15 to 1.35 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 20 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 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent clay and less than 15 percent coarser than very fine sand in the particle-size control section
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate accumulation: 18 to 34 inches
Mollic epipedon: 10 to 20 inches thick
A horizon
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, dry or moist
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Bw horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, moist or dry
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bk horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 5 percent.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
C horizon
Hue: of 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 or 5 moist
Texture: coarsely stratified layers ranging from very fine sandy loam, silt, or silt loam to silty clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hunters soils are on terrace risers and treads. Slopes range from 0 to 65 percent. Hunters soils formed in calcareous glaciolacustrine sediments mixed with loess and volcanic ash in the upper part. Elevations are 2,000 to 4,500 feet. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 21 inches and the mean annual air temperature is 43 to 48 degrees F. The frost-free season is 95 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cedonia, Chesaw, Garrison, Hodgson, Mires, Molson, Republic, Scala, and Stevens soils. Cedonia soils lack a mollic epipedon and are on lake terraces. Chesaw soils have a sandy-skeletal control section and are on outwash terraces. Garrison soils have a loamy-skeletal control section and are on outwash terraces. Hodgson soils are fine-family and are on terraces. Mires soils have a medial over sandy or sandy-skeletal control section and are on outwash terraces. Molson soils have a medial over loamy control section and are on hills. Republic and Stevens soils have a coarse-loamy control section. Republic soils are on fans and terraces and Stevens soils are on side slopes of hills and mountains. Scala soils have a coarse-loamy control section and have an ochric epipedon and are on terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for cropland, woodland, and rangeland. Alfalfa and grass hay, small grains are common crops. The native vegetation is ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir with an understory of pinegrass, Idaho fescue, rough fescues, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, and common snowberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington; MLRA 43A. Series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, 1913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:
Mollic epipedon from 0 to 12 inches (Ap and A horizons)
Cambic horizon from 12 to 40 inches (Bw, Bk1, and Bk2 horizons)
Vitrandic feature from 0 to 20 inches (Ap, A, and Bw horizons)
Particle-size control section from 10 to 40 inches (lower part of A horizon, the Bw, Bk1 and Bk2 horizons)
The zone from 12 to 20 inches (Bw horizon) meets the color requirements for a mollic epipedon but has less than 1 percent organic matter based on laboratory data.
This description reflects a change in classification as of 5/00 with the addition of a superactive cation exchange activity class. The soil was originally classified as a Calcic Haploxeroll. Calcium carbonate percent based on laboratory data. The description as of 03/04 reflects a revision in horizon designation by removing the lithologic discontinuity as related to ash influence. This surface influence of ash is highly mixed and not readily discernable from the subsoil.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available for this pedon. Sample number 69WA010-1, pedon number 06937; NSSL-Riverside, CA, 2/1972.