LOCATION RUFUS WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Lithic Ultic Haploxerolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Rufus shaly ashy loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) shaly ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak, fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; many fine pores; 30 percent shale fragments; neutral (pH 6.8); clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very flaggy ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak, fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; many fine pores; 25 percent shale fragments and 25 percent flagstones; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
AC--8 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely flaggy ashy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 65 percent hard phyllite fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2R--14 inches; phyllite.
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 2 miles south of Gifford and 2.75 miles south and east of the Columbia River in Deer Creek drainage; 1,200 feet east and 2,000 feet north of the southwest corner of section 7, T. 32 N., R. 38 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a lithic contact is 10 to 20 inches. The soils are usually moist in all horizons but are dry in all parts from 8 inches to a lithic contact for 75 to 90 consecutive days following summer solstice. The mean annual soil temperature is 48 to 50 degrees F. The control section averages 35 to 80 percent shaly rock fragments. This soil is influenced by volcanic ash and has an estimated 5 to 20 percent volcanic glass, 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 less than 12 percent for air dried samples.
The A1 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It is shaley ashy loam, channery ashy loam, or stony ashy sandy loam. It has fine and medium granular or subangular blocky structure.
The A2 horizon has value of 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry or moist. It is very channery ashy loam, very channery ashy sandy loam, very flaggy ashy loam, very flaggy ashy sandy loam, or extremely channery ashy sandy loam. It has 35 to 50 percent shaly or channers fragments and 5 to 40 percent flagstones. It is slightly acid to neutral.
The AC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 dry, 3 through 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 dry and moist. It has fine and medium granular or subangular blocky structure or is massive. This horizon has 20 to 50 percent shaly or channer fragments, and 5 to 40 percent flagstones. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bw horizon, when present, has value of 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist and chroma of 3 or 4 dry or moist. It is very channery ashy loam, very channery ashy sandy loam, very flaggy ashy loam, very flaggy ashy sandy loam, or extremely channery ashy loam, or extremely flaggy ashy loam. It has 35 to 50 percent shaly or channers fragments and 5 to 40 percent flagstones. It is slightly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. A similar soil with mixed mineralogy is the Brisky series. Brisky soils are dry for 90 to 105 consecutive days following the summer solstice and lack shaly rock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rufus soils are on glaciated hillsides, mountainsides, and ridgetops at elevations of 1,800 to 4,700 feet. Aspect is usually south-facing. Slopes are convex or complex and range from 8 to 65 percent. These soils formed in residuum and colluvium from shaly rock (argillite, phyllite, quartzite, shale, schist, and slate) modified in places by glacial till, volcanic ash, and loess. These soils are in a continental climate with warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. Average annual precipitation is 15 to 30 inches. Mean January temperature is 25 degrees F, July temperature is 67 degrees F, and the mean annual temperature is 45 to 52 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 90 to 140 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aits, Dehart, Huckleberry, Maki, Oxerine, Raisio, Scoap, and Stevens soils. Aits, Dehart, Scoap, and Stevens soils are more than 60 inches deep. Aits soils are on glaciated mountains. Dehart soils are on mountains. Scoap soils are frigid and are on uplands and mountainsides. Stevens soils are on south facing hillsides, rounded hilltops, mountainsides and ridgetops. Huckleberry soils are ashy over loamy-skeletal, are cryic and are on mountains. Maki, Oxerine, and Raisio soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a lithic contact. Maki soils are on south facing glaciated uplands and mountainsides. Stevens soils are coarse-loamy and are on south facing hillsides, rounded hilltops, mountainsides and ridgetops.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native vegetation is widely spaced ponderosa pine and scattered Douglas-fir with an understory of Saskatoon serviceberry, ceanothus, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, pinegrass, prairie junegrass, arrowleaf balsamroot, lupine, eriogonum, phlox, and stonecrop.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Washington. MLRA 43A, 6. Series is extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, 1978.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are a mollic epipedon from the mineral surface to 14 inches and a lithic contact at 14 inches.