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 silt 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 silt 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 Bw horizon is 12 to 30 inches thick)

Bq1--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)

Bq2--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 with an O horizon.
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 material - 40 to 55 inches
Surface stones and boulders - 0 to 15 percent
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
Reaction - slightly acid or neutral

A horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 3 to 6, dry or moist
Chroma - 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 8 to 20 percent
Gravel content- 10 to 25 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 5 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent
Boulder Content - 0 to 5 percent
Total fragment content - 10 to 30 percent

Bw1 horizon
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 or 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - ashy silt loam or ashy loam
Clay content - 7 to 18 percent
Gravel content - 10 to 35 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 15 percent
Stone content - 0 to 5 percent
Boulder content - 0 to 5 percent
Total fragment content - 15 to 50 percent

Bw2 and Bw3 horizons
Hue - 7.5YR or 10YR
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 3 to 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- 10 to 60 percent
Cobble content - 5 to 35 percent
Stone content - 0 to 40 percent
Boulder content - 0 to 40 percent
Total fragment content - 35 to 75 percent
Silica accumulation - coatings on bottom surfaces of rock fragments in some pedons

Bq horizons
Hue - 10YR , 7.5YR or variegated
Value - 5 to 7 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma - 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture - loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam in the upper part; loamy coarse sand, sand or coarse sand in the lower part
Clay content - 4 to 18 percent in the upper part, 0 to 7 percent in the lower part
Gravel content - 10 to 75 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 40percent
Stone content - 0 to 40 percent
Boulder Content - 0 to 40 percent
Total fragment content - 35 to 85 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 ortstein pan and are dry for 60 to 75 consecutive days following the summer solstice. There are no series with mixed mineralogy.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stutler soils are on outwash plains and terraces on basalt plateaus at elevations of 1,900 to 2,500 feet. Slopes are 0 to 15 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, Thurber's 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 0 to 5 inches (Oi and A horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 32 inches (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons)
Particle-size control section - the zone from 11 to 41 inches (part of the Bw1, Bw2, Bw3 and part of the Bq1 horizon)
Vitrandic feature - the zone from 1 to 12 inches (A and Bw1 horizons)

Significant areas of Stutler were previously mapped as the Hesseltine series in Spokane County.

The Stutler series was updated in 2006 to allow for the presence of boulders and stones in the subsurface. Significant areas of Stutler with bouldery or stony subsurfaces were observed in 2005 in Spokane County.

This series is correlated to a ponderosa pine/common snowberry (PIPO/SYAL) habitat type.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available for this pedon, Soil Survey Sample Number: 00WA063001 Spokane County, Washington. NSSL Pedon Number: 01P0250