LOCATION KINGTAIN WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy-skeletal, amorphic, frigid Alfic Humic Vitrixerands
TYPICAL PEDON: Kingtain gravelly ashy loam - forested on a 30 percent southeast-facing backslope at an elevation of 2,880 feet. (Colors are for crushed soil and dry soil unless otherwise noted. All textures are apparent field textures.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots throughout and many fine roots throughout; many very fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--5 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many very fine roots throughout and common medium roots throughout; many fine interstitial pores; 20 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.4); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
AB--15 to 26 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly ashy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; common very fine roots throughout and few coarse roots throughout; many fine interstitial and common fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (14 to 28 inches thick)
BA--26 to 49 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly ashy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few medium roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; 30 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
2Bt1--49 to 56 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots between peds and few medium roots between peds; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films in root channels and pores; 50 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); gradual wavy boundary.
2Bt2--56 to 70 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loam; brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots between peds and few medium roots between peds; common fine tubular pores; few faint clay films in root channels and pores; 50 percent gravel and 25 percent cobbles; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Klickitat County, Washington; about 6 miles south of Trout Lake; 400 feet north and 2,000 feet west of the southeast corner of section 15, T. 5 N., R. 10 E. Latitude 45 degrees, 54 minutes, 50 seconds N. and Longitude 121 degrees, 32 minutes, 10 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 46 degrees F. The soil moisture control section is dry in all parts for 45 to 60 consecutive days within the 4 months that follow the summer solstice in 6 or more years out of 10. Thickness of the influence of volcanic ash and depth to the top of the argillic horizon is 40 to 50 inches. The 0 to 40 inch particle-size control section has an estimated moist bulk density of 0.80 to 0.90 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 30 percent, acid oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of 2.0 to 4.0 percent, phosphate retention of 70 to 98 percent and 15 bar water retention of 8 to 12 percent. The particle-size control section ranges from 35 to 65 percent basalt rock fragments. The umbric epipedon is 10 to 18 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The AB horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist. Texture is very gravelly ashy loam or very cobbly ashy loam. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The BA horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry and 3 or 4 moist. Texture is very cobbly ashy loam, extremely gravelly ashy loam or very gravelly loam. It has 20 to 50 percent gravel, 5 to 20 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. Texture is very gravelly loam, extremely cobbly loam, very cobbly loam or extremely gravelly loam. It averages from 35 to 50 percent gravel and 5 to 30 percent cobbles and stones. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. A similar classification except a glassy family is the Yawhee series. Yawhee soils have more than 60 percent volcanic glass, 0.4 to 1.0 percent acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half iron, and 25 to 50 percent phosphate retention.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kingtain soils are on mountain slopes at elevations of 1,600 to 4,300 feet. Slopes are 8 to 80 percent. The soils formed in volcanic ash and colluvium derived from basalt. Summers are cool and dry; winters are cold and wet with snow cover from November to May. The mean annual precipitation is 45 to 55 inches. The average January temperature is 22 degrees F. and the average July temperature is 6l degrees F. The mean annual temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free season is 65 to 90 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bercumb, Firoke, Flotag, Sugarbowl and Volash soils. Bercumb and Flotag soils are coarse-loamy. Firoke soils do not have an argillic horizon. Sugarbowl and Volash soils are ashy and do not have an argillic horizon. Bercumb, Firoke, and Volash soils are located on mountain slopes. Flotag and Sugarbowl soils are located on terraces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for timber production, grazeable woodland, and wildlife habitat. Vegetation is mainly grand fir and Douglas-fir, with an understory of vine maple, western hazel, pachystima, prince's pine, trillium, common snowberry, rose, and Oregon-grape.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East slopes of the Cascade Mountains in northwest Klickitat County and King Mountain area in southwest Yakima County, Washington; MLRA 6. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Klickitat County, Washington, 2003.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 15 inches
Argillic horizon - the zone from 49 to 70 inches
Andic soil properties - the zone from 0 to 49 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 0 to 40 inches with ashy particle-size class from 0 to 15 inches, ashy-skeletal from 15 to 49 inches. The family class is ashy-skeletal based on the thickest cumulative layer.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Partial laboratory data available for this soil NSSL pedon number 78P0259. This draft reflects a change in type location to a site sampled for characterization by the NSSL (pedon number 87P0057).