LOCATION HUCKLEBERRY WA+IDEstablished Series
The Huckleberry series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in colluvium and residuum from phyllite, shale, and quartzite with a mantle of loess and volcanic ash. These soils are on mountains and have slopes of 0 to 70 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 32 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Ashy over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Typic Vitricryands
TYPICAL PEDON: Huckleberry ashy silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; needles and twigs; moderately acid (pH 6.0). (0 to 2 inches thick)
Oe--1 to 2 inches; partially decomposed needles and twigs; slightly acid (pH 6.5); abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 1 inch thick)
E--2 to 3 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) ashy very fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; neutral (pH 6.6); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
Bw--3 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) ashy silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; weakly smeary; many fine and very fine roots; 10 percent phyllite fragments; slightly acid (pH 6.4); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
2BC1--16 to 23 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) channery silt loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many fine tubular pores; 25 percent phyllite fragments and 5 percent flagstones; slightly acid (pH 6.4); gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
2BC2--23 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very channery loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common roots; many fine tubular pores; 35 percent phyllite channers and 15 percent flagstones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
2C--30 to 34 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) extremely flaggy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 40 percent phyllite channers and 30 percent flagstones; neutral (pH 6.6); gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
2R--34 inches; hard phyllite; some fines in fracture planes.
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Washington; 300 feet east and 400 feet north of the southwest corner of section 12, T. 29 N., R. 37 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mean annual soil temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F, and the mean summer soil temperature is 50 to 59 degrees F without an O horizon. The volcanic ash mantle is 14 to 22 inches thick. Depth to lithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The particle-size control section is dominantly silt loam or loam with an average of 35 to 60 percent rock fragments. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The E horizon has value of 6 or 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry or moist. It is ashy silt loam, ashy loam, or ashy very fine sandy loam and is modified by shale fragments in some pedons.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR, value of 5 through 7 dry, 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. Texture is ashy silt loam or ashy loam with 5 to 30 percent shale channers.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 or 7 when dry and 3 or 4 when moist, and chroma of 3 or 4 when dry and moist. Texture is channery loam, channery silt loam, very channery loam, very channery silt loam, and very flaggy loam with 25 to 55 percent rock fragments.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 dry, 3 through 4 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4 dry or moist. Texture is silt loam or loam with 35 to 75 percent rock fragments
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ashnola (T),
Bucketlake,
Mountemily, and
Troutmeadows series. The Ashnola, Bucketlake and Mountemily soils are greater than 60 inches to bedrock. The Troutmeadows soils have a mean annual soil temperature of 37 to 41 degrees F. and in addition, are dominated by angular rock fragments of basalt origin in the lower part of the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on mountain side slopes and ridge tops at elevations of about 3,000 to 6,000 feet. Slopes range from 0 to 70 percent. At the lower elevations the areas have only a northerly aspect. Most of the solum is formed in a silty mantle of loess and volcanic ash mixed with some rock fragments and other finer materials from the underlying materials. The silty mantle overlies residuum and colluvium weathered from phyllite, shale, and quartzite. The climate is subhumid with dry summers. The mean annual precipitation is 25 to 45 inches, including 3 to 12 feet of snowfall. The mean annual temperature is about 43 degrees F. The average frost-free season is 50 to 100 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ardenvoir, Brickel, Divers, Hartill, McCrosket, Newbell, Shoeffler, and Waits soils. Ardenvoir, McCrosket, and Hartill soils lack Bir horizons and are loamy-skeletal. Brickel soils have a mollic epipedon. Divers and Shoeffler soils are deeper than 40 inches to bedrock. Waits and Newbell soils have a mean summer soil temperature of more than 59 degrees F.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to very rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are used for timber production. The natural vegetation is chiefly western red cedar, western white pine, grand fir, western larch, and Douglas-fir. The understory is mainly myrtle pachystima, oneleaf foamflower, longtube twinflower, darkwoods violet, and wild ginger. Ground cover is predominantly pinegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Idaho and northeastern Washington; MLRA 43. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Bozeman, Montana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stevens County, Washington, l981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 3 to 30 inches
Andic soil properties - the zone from 3 to 23 inches having an estimated moist bulk density of less than 0.9 g/cc, volcanic glass content of 5 to 30 percent, acid-oxalate extractable aluminum plus one-half iron of more than 2.0 percent, and 15-bar water retention of less than 12 percent (air-dried).
Lithic contact - the zone beginning at 34 inches
Particle-size control section - the zone from 2 to 34 inches with 2 to 16 inches meeting ashy family and 16 to 34 inches meeting loamy-skeletal family.
Soil moisture - udic
The E horizon is assumed to be younger volcanic ash (Mount St. Helens 'T' or 'W' and not related to spodic horizon development.
Classification revised 9/91 based on Andisol order in Soil Taxonomy. Revised from Medial over loamy-skeletal, mixed Entic Cryandepts to Ashy over loamy-skeletal, mixed Typic Vitricryands.
Classification revised 1/02 from Ashy over loamy-skeletal, mixed Typic Vitricryands to Ashy over loamy-skeletal, amorphic over isotic Typic Vitricryands.
Further investigation is needed where this soil is mapped in northern Idaho. Based on elevation and plant community, the concept may be frigid rather than cryic. In addition, argillic horizons and Alfic subgroups may also apply.