LOCATION SHALCAR WAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, euic, mesic Terric Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Shalcar muck - on a 1 percent slope in a pasture at 75 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted)
Oa1--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sapric material, black (N 2/) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 15 percent fiber, 3 percent rubbed; many very fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); CaCl2 pH (4.0); abrupt irregular boundary.
Oa2--6 to 26 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sapric material, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 30 percent fiber, 5 percent rubbed; common very fine roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.8); CaC12 pH (5.0); clear wavy boundary.
Oa3--26 to 37 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sapric material, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 20 percent fiber, 5 percent rubbed; common very fine roots; an intermittent layer of strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam volcanic ash, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) dry; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); CaC12 pH (4.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Oa horizons is 16 to 51 inches)
2Bg--37 to 52 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine irregular pores; 5 percent gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.3); abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 50 inches thick)
2Cg--52 to 60 inches; dark gray (N 4/) gravelly sand, gray (N 6/) dry; single grain; loose; many fine irregular pores; 15 percent gravel; moderately acid (pH 6.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Whatcom County, Washington; about 1 mile east of Lynden, 100 feet north and 300 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 16, T. 40 N., R. 3 E. Willamette Meridian; USGS Lynden NE quarter quadrangle; latitude 48 degrees 56 minutes 60 seconds N. and longitude 122 degrees 25 minutes and 8 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Average annual soil temperature - 48 to 54 degrees F.
Depth to mineral soil - 16 to 51 inches
Fiber content - 5 to 40 percent (2 to 15 percent rubbed)
Oa horizons
Hue - 2.5YR to 2.5Y, or N
Value - 2 to 4 moist, 2 to 5 dry
Chroma - 1 to 3 moist and dry
Reaction - extremely acid to moderately acid
Wood fragments - 0 to 10 percent
2Bg horizon
Hue - 10YR to 5Y, 5GY, or N
Value - 3 to 5 moist, 5 to 8 dry
Chroma - 1 or 2 moist and dry
Reaction - moderately acid or slightly acid
Texture - SIL, SL, L, or SCL
2Cg horizon
Hue - 5Y, 5GY, or N
Value - 4 or 5 moist, 5 to 7 dry
Reaction - moderately acid to neutral
Texture - S, LS, SL, L, SIL, or SICL
Coarse fragments - 0 to 60 percent gravel
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Klossner, Linwood, Medo, Natchaug, Palms, and Philbon series. Linwood soils formed in predominately woody fiber. Klossner, Natchaug, and Palms soils occur in a continental climate with more than 26 degrees F difference between mean January and July soil temperatures. Medo soils are slightly acid to slightly alkaline in the organic horizons. Philbon soils are neutral to moderately alkaline in the organic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shalcar soils are in depressional areas on stream terraces, and outwash terraces of drift plains. Elevation is 0 to 700 feet. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in herbaceous organic deposits overlying alluvium, glacial outwash, or glaciomarine deposits. The climate is characterized by warm dry summers and mild moist winters. Snow cover is intermittent. Mean annual precipitation is 18 to 55 inches. Mean January temperature is 36 degrees F; mean July temperature is 62 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is about 50 degrees F. The frost-free period is 150 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bellingham, Fishtrap, Kickerville, Norma, Pangborn, Seattle, and Sumas soils. Bellingham and Norma soils occur in depressions but are poorly drained Inceptisols. Fishtrap soils are Histosols and occur in depressions as well but are sandy or sandy-skeletal in the particle-size control section. Kickerville soils are on outwash terraces and plains but are well drained Spodosols. Pangborn and Seattle soils are Histosols and occur in depressions but are more than 51 inches deep to mineral soil. Sumas soils are on floodplains and are poorly drained Entisols.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; Permeability is moderate to the 2Cg horizon. Permeability of the 2Cg horizon ranges from very slow to very rapid. An apparent high water table is as high as the surface to 1 foot over the surface at times from October through May unless drained.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most Shalcar soils have been cleared and drained and used for pasture, hay, and some for cropland. The potential natural vegetation is mainly Douglas spirea, skunk cabbage, Pacific willow, and slough sedge. Some areas have an overstory of red alder, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, and lodgepole pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Washington, west of the Cascade Mountains; MLRA 2. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grays Harbor Area, Washington, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 37 inches (Oa horizons)
Terric feature - the zone from 37 to 60 inches (2Bg and 2Cg horizons)
Particle-size control section - 37 to 51 inches (2Bg horizon)
Histosols control section - the zone from 0 to 51 inches (Oa horizons and part of the 2Bg horizon)
Thin discontinuous layers of volcanic ash and diatomaceous earth (1/2 to 2 inches thick) occur between 24 and 48 inches in some pedons.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Reference sample - National Soil Survey Laboratory pedon number 04N0410 (user pedon ID 03WA055010).