LOCATION SALZER WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, acid, mesic Vertic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Salzer silty clay, forage crops. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) mottles; moderate fine angular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky, plastic; many fine grass roots; many medium interstitial and many fine tubular pores; 1/4 inch vertical cracks; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
Bg1--6 to 12 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; common fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to strong medium angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; common fine grass roots; many medium tubular pores; 1/4 inch vertical cracks; few organic coatings on vertical sides of peds; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bg2--12 to 21 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to strong medium angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; common medium and fine tubular pores; 1/4-inch vertical cracks; very strongly acid (pH 4.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bg3--21 to 29 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; many medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/8) mottles; weak medium prismatic structure that parts to strong medium medium angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; common medium and fine tubular pores; vertical cracks; few thin clay films in pores; extremely acid (pH 4.4); gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bg4--29 to 50 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/8) mottles; moderate coarse prismatic structure that parts to strong medium angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, sticky, very plastic; few fine flattened grass roots; few medium interstitial and common medium tubular pores; vertical cracks; few thin organic coatings on vertical sides of peds; few thin clay films in pores; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 24 inches thick)
2C1--50 to 59 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; many medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/8) mottles; massive; extremely hard, friable, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine tubular and interstitial pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
2C2--59 to 64 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) sandy clay loam, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) dry; common medium distinct dark red (2.5YR 3/6) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; soft, common fine black smeary concretions; moderately acid (pH 5.8).
TYPE LOCATION: Grays Harbor County, Washington; 1 mile southwest of Oakville to junction of Howanut and Elmagate roads; to the depression in field, 400 feet south and 300 feet west of the junction; 1,700 feet west and 2,000 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 32, T.16N., R.4W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness exceeds 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature ranges from 47 to 51 degrees F. These soils are usually moist between depths of 4 and 12 inches and are saturated during part of the growing season unless artificially drained. The soils are extremely acid or strongly acid in the solum and very strongly acid to moderately acid in the 2C horizon. When the soil becomes dry for short durations, 1/2 inch cracks are common at the surface and they extend to a depth of about 24 inches. The control section is silty clay or clay. In virgin areas this soil may have a 4 to 8 inch thick 0 horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR through 5Y, value of 2 through 4 moist, 5 through 7 dry, chroma of 1 or 2 moist and dry, and is faintly to prominently mottled.
The B horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 through 6 moist, 6 or 7 dry, chroma of 0 to 2 moist and dry, and is mottled. It has moderate or strong blocky structure.
The 2C horizon has the same color range as the B horizon. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Caples, Concord, Jacob, Langlois, Reed, Rennie, and Thornton series. All of these soils except Jacob soils lack vertic properties. Jacob soils lack clay films, have weak or very weak structure below the A horizon, and lack mottles with 5YR or redder hue.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils occupy depressions on alluvial floodplains at elevations ranging from 25 to 500 feet. They formed in mixed sediments predominantly from sedimentary rocks. Salzer soils occur in narrow to wide river valleys adjacent to sedimentary uplands. They are in a semihumid climate with relatively cool summers and mild, wet winters. They have an annual precipitation of 40 to 90 inches. The average January temperature is 39 degrees F.; the average July temperature is 63 degrees F.; and the mean annual temperature is 51 degrees F. The frost free season is 100 to 150 days. The growing season (28 degrees F) is 150 to 240 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brenner, Chehalis, Cloquato, and Nehalem soils. Brenner soils have an umbric epipedon. Chehalis, Cloquato and Nehalem soils are well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; very slow runoff; very slow permeability. An apparent water table is as high as 1 foot above surface to 6 inches below the surface at times from November to May unless the soils are drained. These soils are also subject to frequent long periods of flooding unless protected.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly 1/2 of the soil is cleared, drained, and used for forage crops. Native cover is red alder, black cottonwood, western hemlock, and western redcedar, with an understory of Oregon oxalis, red huckleberry, trailing blackberry, sweetscented bedstraw, western swordfern, Oregongrape, skunkcabbage, salmonberry, and sedge.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern Washington. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grays Harbor County (Grays Harbor County Area), Washington, 1970.
REMARKS: Classification only changed 4/94 because of recent amendments to Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an ochric epipedon from the surface to 6 inches and a glayed cambic horizon from 6 to 50 inches.