LOCATION SKOLY WATentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Humic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Skoly stony loam-forested. (colors are for moist soils unless otherwise noted)
0i--3 inches to 0; leaves, needles and twigs.
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stony loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and common coarse roots; many very fine, fine and medium irregular pores; 15 percent pebbles, 10 percent cobbles, 2 percent stones, and 5 percent soft saprolitic pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A2--5 to 17 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) very cobbly loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular and weak subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, fine and medium and few coarse roots; common fine tubular and very fine irregular pores; 10 percent pebbles, 35 percent cobbles and 5 percent soft saprolitic pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.2); clear irregular boundary. (10 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--17 to 40 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5Y 5/4) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles, 35 percent cobbles and 20 percent soft saprolitic pebbles; strongly acid (pH 5.4); gradual wavy boundary. (23 to 40 inches thick)
C--40 to 60 inches; dark brown (7.5Y 3/4) very cobbly loam, brown (7.5Y 5/4) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent pebbles, 35 percent cobbles and 10 percent stones; strongly acid (pH 5.4).
TYPE LOCATION: Skamania County, Washington; 5 miles west of Beacon Rock State Park, 500 feet south, 100 feet west of the NE corner sec. 30, T. 2 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 40 to 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 47 to 49 degrees F. Depth to bedrock is 60 inches or more. The control section averages 18 to 30 percent clay and 35 to 60 percent rock fragments. Thickness of the umbric epipedon ranges from 14 to 20 inches. Saprolitic material averages 5 to 25 percent in the particle-size control section.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist and dry.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry, and chroma of 3 or 4 moist and dry. It is very cobbly loam, very gravelly clay loam or very cobbly clay loam. Pebbles range from 20 to 25 percent and cobbles 10 to 35 percent.
The C horizon has value of 3 or 4 moist, 5 or 6 dry. It is very cobbly loam or very cobbly clay loam or extremely cobbly loam. Rock fragments range from 10 to 20 percent pebbles and 40 to 50 percent cobbles and stones.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brightwood, Guyandotte, Harrington, Klickitat, Milbury, Nordby, Spivey, Steever, Summers, and Wauld series. Brightwood, Harrington, Summers and Wauld soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Guyandotte soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Klickitat soils have a solum 20 to 40 inches thick and lack soft saprolitic pebbles in the control section. Milbury soils are 20 to 40 inches deep to a paralithic contact. Nordby soils have a 2C horizon of extremely gravelly sand in the lower part of the particle-size control section. Spivey soils have an annual soil temperature of greater than 52 degrees F. Steever soils have a hue of 10YR or yellower.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skoly soils are on mountain slopes at elevations of 20 to 2,200 feet. Slopes are 2 to 65 percent. The soil formed in colluvium from basalt. Summers are warm and dry and winters are cool and wet. Average annual precipitation is 70 to 95 inches. Mean annual January temperature is about 30 degrees F.; mean July temperature is about 65 degrees F. Mean annual temperature is 48 to 51 degrees F. The frost-free season is 110 to 160 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aschoff, Olyic, Skamania Zygore and the competing Steever soils. Aschoff and Zygore soils are medial-skeletal. Olyic soils are fine-loamy and have an argillic horizon. Skamania soils are coarse-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for timber production, homesites, watershed and wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is Douglas-fir, western hemlock and red alder, and a minor amount of bigleaf maple and western redcedar, with an understory of vine maple, red huckleberry, salal, western hazel, Oregongrape, western brackenfern, trailing blackberry, Oregon fairybells, violet, goldthread, Oregon oxalis, American trailplant, false Solomon's seal, deerfoot vanillaleaf, and western swordfern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT Skamania County, Washington, 1979.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are an umbric epipedon from the mineral surface to 17 inches, and a cambic horizon from 14 to 40 inches.