LOCATION STUTLER            WA

STUTLER SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, isotic, mesic Vitrandic Haploxerepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Stutler gravelly ashy loam on a west-facing 2 percent slope at 2,420 feet elevation in a ponderosa pine forest. When described on May 16, 2000 the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. All textures are apparent field textures.)

Oi--0 to 1 inch; slightly decomposed plant material; a 1/16" thick discontinuous band of 1980 Mt. St. Helen's ash was found along the boundary between the Oi horizon and the A horizon; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 1 1/2 inches thick)

A--1 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly ashy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine tubular and irregular pores; 20 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel and 3 percent subangular basalt cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)

Bw1--5 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly ashy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine, many medium, common coarse roots, and common very coarse roots; common very fine tubular and irregular pores; 25 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel and 5 percent subangular basalt cobbles; slightly acid (pH 6.3); clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Bw2--12 to 22 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine, few fine, many medium, common coarse, and few very coarse roots throughout; common very fine and few fine irregular, common very fine and few medium tubular pores; 30 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel, 25 percent subangular basalt cobbles, and 3 percent subangular basalt stones; slightly acid (pH 6.5); clear smooth boundary.

Bw3--22 to 32 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) extremely cobbly loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine and fine, common medium, and few coarse and roots; common very fine and fine irregular, common very fine and few medium tubular pores; 45 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel, 25 percent subangular basalt cobbles, and 3 percent subangular basalt stones; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bw horizon is 12 to 30 inches thick)

BC--32 to 42 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) extremely gravelly coarse sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grain; soft, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine, common medium and few coarse roots throughout; common fine and medium interstitial, and common very fine irregular pores; 20 percent discontinuous distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) silica on bottom surfaces of rock fragments; 55 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel, 20 percent subangular basalt cobbles, and 2 percent subangular basalt stones; neutral (pH 6.7); clear irregular boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)

2C--42 to 61 inches; multicolored extremely gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose, loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine, common medium, and few coarse, and very coarse roots throughout; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse interstitial pores; 10 percent patchy distinct brown (10YR 4/3) silica coatings on bottom surfaces of rock fragments; 75 percent subangular and subrounded basalt gravel and 10 percent subangular basalt cobbles; neutral (pH 6.7).

TYPE LOCATION: Spokane County, Washington, about 5 miles southeast of Marshall, Wa.; About 1,800 feet east and 1,950 feet south of the northwest corner of Section 8, Township 23N, Range 43E; USGS Spokane SW, Wash. topographic quadrangle; (Latitude 47 degrees, 30 minutes, 6.62 seconds N. and Longitude 117 degrees, 24 minutes, 15.38 seconds W.) NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to diagnostic horizons and features are measured from the top of the first mineral layer.
Average annual soil temperature - 48 to 52 degrees F.
Moisture control section - dry 75 to 90 days after the summer solstice, July to September, moist October through June
Clay content - 4 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section
Depth to sandy-skeletal 2C horizon - 40 to 55 inches
Volcanic ash influence - 7 to 14 inches
Estimated properties of the volcanic ash influenced layers:
Volcanic glass content in the 0.02 to 2 mm fraction - 5 to 20 percent
Acid-oxalate extractable Al plus 1/2 Fe - 0.4 to 1.0 percent
Moist bulk density - 1.15 to 1.35 g/cc
15 bar water retention - 5 to 10 percent for air dried samples
Base Saturation - more than 60 percent (by NH4OAc) in all horizons between 10 and 30 inches (estimated)
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

A horizon
Hue - 10YR or 7.5YR
Value - 3 to 6 dry or moist
Chroma - 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy loam
Gravel content- 15 to 25 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 5 percent

Bw1 horizon
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy loam
Clay content - 7 to 18 percent
Gravel content - 15 to 35 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 10 percent

Bw horizon
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4
Texture - loam or sandy loam
Clay content - 4 to 18 percent
Gravel content- 15 to 50 percent
Cobble content - 5 to 30 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent

BC horizon
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam
Clay content - 4 to 18 percent
Gravel content - 20 to 55 percent
Cobble content - 5 to 30 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent

2C horizon
Texture - sand or coarse sand
Gravel content - 35 to 75 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 10 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dehart, Macreeing, McGuire, Olete, and Tukey soils. Dehart soils have rock fragments of metasedimentary origin and lack a sandy-skeletal layer within 55 inches. Macreeing soils are 40 to 60 inches to a lithic contact, and are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. Olete soils are 20 to 30 inches to a lithic contact and are dry for 60 to 80 consecutive days following the summer solstice. McGuire soils have glacial flood deposits derived dominantly from granite, gneiss and schist in the particle size control section, are dry for 60 to 75 days, and are 25 to 40 inches to sand and gravel. Tukey soils are 36 to 56 inches to a cemented ortsein pan and are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stutler soils are on outwash plains and terraces on basalt plateaus at elevations of 1,900 to 3,000 feet. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The soils formed in glaciofluvial deposits derived from local basalt, mixed with loess and volcanic ash in the upper part. The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cool, moist winters. The mean annual precipitation is 15 to 20 inches. The mean annual temperature is 46 to 50 degrees F. The frost-free period is 100 to 130 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alecanyon, Cheney, and Springdale soils. Alecanyon soils are sandy skeletal and are on outwash plains. Cheney soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal and are on outwash plains. Springdale soils are sandy-skeletal and are on outwash plains and terraces.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability to a depth of about 40 inches and very rapid below.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mostly for homesites, grazeable woodland, with some areas used for wildlife habitat and watershed. Potential natural vegetation is ponderosa pine, Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, Wyeth eriogonum, arrowleaf balsamroot, common yarrow, lupine, common snowberry, common chokecherry, Saskatoon serviceberry, rose, Thurbers needlegrass, threadleaf sedge, and Columbia needlegrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Washington; MLRA 9. Series is of small extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Portland, Oregon

SERIES PROPOSED: Spokane County, Washington, 2001.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 1 to 5 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 32 inches (Bw1, 2Bw2, and 2Bw3 horizons) Particle-size control section - the zone from 11 to 41 inches (part of the Bw1, 2Bw2, 2Bw3 and part of the 2BC horizon)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 1 to 12 inches (A and Bw1 horizons)

Series revision 02/04 to remove discontinuity in Bw and BC horizons based on highly mixed ash influence and lack of an ash mantle.

Significant areas of Stutler were previously mapped as Hesseltine series in Spokane County.
This series is correlated to a PIPO/SYAL habitat type.