LOCATION PALIX WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Medial, ferrihydritic, isomesic Typic Fulvudands
TYPICAL PEDON: Palix medial silt loam on east facing 16 percent slope under coniferous forest at 360 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures. When described the soil was nearly dry to 18 inches, moist below.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed needles and twigs; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--1 to 19 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) medial silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic and weakly smeary; common fine and very fine, few medium and coarse roots; many very fine tubular pores; 20 percent paragravel siltstone fragments; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Bw1--19 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) medial silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic and weakly smeary; common fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 30 percent paragravel siltstone fragments; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bw2--26 to 31 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) medial silty clay loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic and smeary; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; 35 percent paragravel siltstone fragments; extremely acid (pH 4.4); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bw3--31 to 47 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) medial silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) dry; weak fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm, moderately sticky, moderately plastic and weakly smeary; few very fine roots; few very fine tubular pores; 50 percent paragravel siltstone fragments; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (15 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--47 inches; moderately cemented siltstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Pacific County, Washington; about 6 miles north, 2 miles west of Raymond; on D line logging road 4/10 mile north of the junction with the D2700 logging road, NW1/4 SE1/4 section 23, T.15N., R.9, WM.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to a paralithic contact is 40 to 60 inches. The 10 to 40 inch control section has 27 to 35 percent clay. The mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F. The difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is 5 to 9 degrees F. Soil moisture regime is udic. The solum has moist bulk density of 0.75 to 0.90 g/cc, acid oxalate aluminum plus one-half the iron is 2 to 4 percent, phosphate retention is 85 to 100 percent. Acid oxalate iron is 1.5 to 3.0 percent and 15 bar water is 15 to 35 percent on air dry samples. Soil reaction is very strongly acid or extremely acid. The umbric epipedon is 12 to 20 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist or dry. Structure is subangular blocky or granular. It has 5 to 15 cmol/kg of aluminum. It has 5 to 15 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 moist, 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 4 through 6 moist or dry. It is medial silty clay loam or medial clay loam and contains 20 to 80 percent paragravel siltstone fragments. Structure is angular or subangular blocky. It has 1 to 7 percent organic matter.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calawah, Ilwaco, Klootchie, Knappton, Lint, Lytell, Narel, Neotsu, Newskah, Neskowin, Queets and Salander series. Calawah, Ilwaco, Lint, Newskah, Queets and Salander soils are very deep. Knappton soils are over 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Neotsu soils are 20 to 40 inches to a paralithic contact. Neskowin soils are 20 to 40 inches to a lithic contact. Knappton soils have developed over basalt and coarse fragments are lithic. Lytell soils are very similar and review is needed for series separation. Narel soils have 20 to 27 percent clay in the particle-size control section but more review is needed for adequate series separation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Palix soils are on hills and mountains. Slopes are 8 to 90 percent. These soils formed in colluvium weathered from siltstone and very fine grained sandstone. Elevation ranges from near sea level to 1,100 feet. They occur in a coastal marine climate with cool, wet winters and cool, dry summers. The annual precipitation ranges from 80 to 120 inches. The mean January temperature is 38 degrees F.; the mean July temperature is 59 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is about 48 degrees F. The growing season (28 degrees F.) is 180 to 220 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Ilwaco, Knappton, and Narel soils and the Lebam, Swem, Vesta and Willapa soils. Lebam and Vesta soils are medial over clayey. Swem and Willapa soils have redox concentrations in the solum,
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal uses are timber production, watershed, wildlife habitat, and recreation. The major tree species are western hemlock and Douglas fir, with scattered Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and red alder. Understory species are salal, oxalis, swordfern, brachenfern, salmonberry, blackberry, red elderberry, and vine maple.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Washington MLRA 4A. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pacific County, Washington, 1978.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features.
Need to review the Palix, Lytell and Narel series for adequate series separation or correlation.
Umbric epipedon - 1 to 19 inches.
Cambic horizon - 19 to 47 inches.
Andic soil properties from 1 to 47 inches.
The cool phase map units which are characterized with having Pacific Silver Fir should be re-correlated to an isofrigid soil series.