Soils
The
eastern part of Jefferson County consists of relatively
low, rolling to moderately steep, glacial terraces and
long, narrow valleys in the northern and northeastern
sections. The original vegetation of the area was mainly
coniferous forest, except for a small area near Port
Townsend where it was dominantly bunchgrasses.
Most KPOA upland soils are
classified as two soil types, Cassolary sandy loam (CfC)
and Whidbey gravelly sandy loam (WhC). Other areas of KPOA
upland soils are classified as Hoypus gravelly loamy sand
(HuC) and Clallam gravelly sand (CmC). Near-shore soils are
primarily Hoypus gravelly sand.
These soils are slightly acid
to strongly acid. They are well-drained to somewhat
excessively well-drained, underlain by glacial till, loamy
sand, or gravel. These soil associations are used for
growing forest products, as wildlife habitat, for
recreation, and for rural home development.
Soil Abbreviation & Name % KPOA
WhC Whidbey gravelly sandy loam 34
0–15% slopes
CfC Cassolary sandy loam 26
0–15% slopes
HuC Hoypus gravelly loamy sand 16
0–15% slopes
HuD Hoypus gravelly loamy sand 5
15–30% slopes
CmC Clallam gravelly sandy loam 7
0–15% slopes
Co Coastal beaches 9
Td Tidal marsh 2
Ro Rough broken land 1
Cassolary Series
The Cassolary series consists
of very deep, well-drained soils on upland terraces and
terrace escarpments. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent.
Elevation ranges from 50 to 500 feet. These soils formed in
reworked glacial and marine sediments. Native vegetation is
mainly Douglas-fir, western red cedar, western hemlock, red
alder, bigleaf maple, rhododendron, salal, huckleberry, and
sword fern. Annual precipitation ranges from 17 to 25
inches. The average annual air temperature is 50F. The
above 32F growing season ranges from about 160 to 260 days,
and the above 28F growing season ranges from about 220 to
320 days. Cassolary soils are associated mainly with Agnew,
Alderwood, Clallam, Dick, Everett, Indianola, Kitsap, and
Tukey soils.
In a representative profile
in a wooded area, a thin layer of organic litter covers the
surface. The upper 23 inches of the soil is sandy loam. To
a depth of 3 inches it is dark gray, between depths of 3
and 15 inches it is dark brown, and between depths of 15
and 23 inches it is dark grayish brown. Below this is
grayish-brown silt loam that extends to a depth of 27
inches. Beneath this, and extending to a depth of 33
inches, is grayish-brown silty clay loam. The next layer is
light olive-brown fine sandy- loam that extends to a depth
of 49 inches. It is underlain to a depth of 60 inches by
very dark grayish-brown medium sand.
Most of the acreage of
Cassolary soils is wooded. The soils are used mainly for
production of trees and for small ranches and rural home
sites.
Cassolary
sandy loam,
0 to 15 percent slopes
(CfC). This nearly
level to rolling soil is on upland terraces. In most places
slopes range from 5 to 10 percent. Representative profile
350 feet east of west quarter corner of the NW1/4SW1/4SW1/4
sec. 33, T. 30 N., R. 1 W.: Jefferson County.
O1- 3 inches to 1 inch,
needles, leaves, bark, and fragments of wood.
O2- 1 inch to 0, dark
reddish-brown (5YR 2,/2) partly decayed needles, leaves,
bark, and fragments of wood; strongly acid; abrupt, wavy
boundary. (1/2 to 1 1/2 inches thick)
A2- 0 to 3 inches,
dark-gray (10YR 4/1) sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry;
massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many
fine, medium, and coarse roots; strongly acid; clear, wavy
boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
B21ir- 3 to 15 inches, dark-brown (10YR 4/3)
sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; few, faint
dark-brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak, fine and medium,
subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky,
nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; 10 percent
very hard, dark reddish-brown (5YR 3/4) iron concretions;
medium acid; gradual, wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches
thick)
B22- 15 to 23 inches, dark
grayish-brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam, light brownish gray
(10YR 6/2) dry; few, medium and coarse, distinct dark-brown
(7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak, medium and coarse, subangular
blocky structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky,
nonplastic; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; 8
percent very hard, dark reddish-brown (5YR 3/4) iron
concretions: medium acid; abrupt, smooth boundary. (6 to 10
inches thick)
IIC1- 23 to 27 inches,
grayish-brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, light gray (10YR 7/2)
dry; few, medium, faint dark yellowish-brown (10YR 4/4)
mottles, massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky, plastic; few
fine and medium roots; medium acid; clear, smooth boundary.
(3 to 6 inches thick)
IIC2- 27 to 38 inches,
grayish-brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, light gray (2.5Y
7, 2) dry; common, medium, distinct dark yellowish-brown
(10YR 4/4) mottles; massive; hard, firm, sticky, plastic;
few fine and medium roots; slightly acid; clear, smooth
boundary. (10 to 16 inches thick)
IIIC3- 38 to 49 inches, light
olive-brown (2.5Y 5/4) fine sandy loam, light yellowish
brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry ; few, medium and coarse, faint
yellowish-brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; massive; soft, very
friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; slightly acid; clear, wavy
boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
IVC4- 49 to 60 inches, very
dark grayish-brown (2.5Y 3/2) and grayish-brown (2.5Y 5/2)
medium sand; dark grayish brown (2.5Y4/2) and light
brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; few, coarse, faint
yellowish-brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; single grained; loose,
nonsticky, nonplastic; few pebbles; neutral.
The depth to sand or loamy
sand exceeds 40 inches. The A2 horizons range from fine
sandy loam to sandy loam. The B21ir horizon is dark brown
or brown fine sandy loam. or sandy loam. The B22 horizon is
dark grayish brown or brown fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The C horizons are interstratified silty clay loam, silt
loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, and sand.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of
Kitsap soils.
This soil is well drained.
Permeability is moderately slow. Roots penetrate to a depth
of more than 60 inches. This soil holds about 7 to 9 inches
of water available for plants. Runoff is slow to medium,
and the hazard of water erosion is slight to moderate.
This soil is used mainly for
production of trees and for recreation areas and wildlife
habitat. A small acreage is used for permanent pasture,
hay, and home garden crops. Capability unit IIIe-1;
woodland group 3d2.
Whidbey Series
The Whidbey series consists
of well-drained, gravelly soils that have a very slowly
permeable cemented layer at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
They are on glacial terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 30
percent. Elevation ranges from slightly above sea level to
600 feet. These soils formed in glacial till under
vegetation that consists mainly of Douglas-fir, western red
cedar, willow, rhododendron, and salal. Annual
precipitation is 18 to 30 inches. The average annual air
temperature is 50F. The above 32F growing season ranges
from about 210 to 250 days, and the above 28F growing
season ranges from about 270 to 310 days. These soils are
associated with Agnew, Clallam, Dick, Everett, Indianola,
and Sinclair soils.
In a representative profile
in a wooded area, a thin layer of organic litter covers the
surface. The upper 3 inches of the soil is very dark gray
gravelly sandy loam. Below this, to a, depth of 21 inches,
is dark-brown gravelly sandy loam. Beneath this, and
extending to a depth of 26 inches, is grayish brown
gravelly sandy loam. Below this is a cemented layer.
Cobbles and stones are present on the surface and
throughout the profile.
Most areas of these soils are
used for production of trees and are wooded. About 30
percent of the acreage has been cleared and is used for
small ranches and rural summer home sites. If supplemental
irrigation and fertilization are supplied, these soils can
be used for permanent pasture, hay, and a variety of
vegetable and berry crops.
Whidbey
gravelly sandy loam,
0 to 15 percent slopes
(WhC). This nearly
level to sloping soil is on glacial terraces. In most areas
this soil has slopes of 4 to 8 percent. Representative
profile 100 feet north of logging road, 1,850 feet north
and 530 feet east of the south quarter corner of sec. 27;
T. 30 N., R. 1 W.:
O1- 4
inches to 1 inch, needles, leaves, bark, and fragments of
wood.
O2- 1
inch to 0, dark reddish-brown (5YR 2/2), partly decomposed
needles, leaves, bark, and fragments of wood; medium acid;
abrupt, wavy boundary. (1/2 to 1 1/2 inches thick)
A1- 0 to 3 inches, very
dark gray (10YR 3/1) gravelly sandy loam, gray to light
gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak, very fine, granular structure;
soft, very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine,
medium, and coarse roots; 25 percent gravel; medium acid;
clear, wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
B2ir- 3 to 21 inches, dark-brown
(10YR 4/3) gravelly sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry:
weak, fine and medium, subangular blocky structure; soft,
very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine, medium, and
coarse roots to a depth of 11 inches and common fine,
medium, and coarse roots to a depth of 21 inches; common
hard iron-manganese concretions; 40 percent gravel; medium
acid; clear, wavy boundary. (15 to 23 inches thick)
C1- 21 to 26 inches,
grayish-brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, light gray
(10YR 7/2) dry; common, medium, faint yellowish-brown (10YR
5/4) mottles; massive; hard, firm, nonsticky, nonplastic:
few fine roots; 45 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt,
wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C2sim- 26 to 60 inches, light brownish-gray (10YR
6/2), weakly cemented gravelly sandy loam, white (10YR 8/2)
dry; common medium, faint, yellowish-brown (10YR 5/4)
mottles; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; 40
percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid;
diffuse, smooth boundary. (20 to 35 inches thick)
C3- 60
inches, very compact gravelly sandy loam glacial till.
(Many feet thick)
Depth
to the cemented layer is 20 to 40 inches. The A1 horizon
ranges from very dark gray to dark grayish brown. The B2ir
horizon ranges from dark brown to dark yellowish brown. The
C1 horizon ranges from hard to extremely hard when dry.
Color ranges from grayish brown to light brownish gray.
Reaction ranges from strongly acid in the A horizon to
slightly acid in the C horizon. Included with this soil in
mapping are small areas of somewhat poorly drained soils
and areas of somewhat excessively drained soils.
This soil is well drained.
Permeability is moderately rapid above the cemented layer.
Roots penetrate to the cemented layer. This soil holds 2 to
4 inches of water available for plants. Runoff is slow to
medium, and the hazard of water erosion is slight to
moderate.
This soil is used mainly for
production of trees and for wildlife habitat, recreation
areas, and rural home sites. Some small areas are used for
growing pasture, hay, and home garden crops. Capability
unit IVe-1; woodland group 4d2.
Hoypus Series
The Hoypus series consists of
somewhat excessively drained, gravelly soils. These soils
formed in glacial out-wash on terraces. Slopes range from 0
to 50 percent. Elevation ranges from 100 to 500 feet.
Native vegetation consists mainly of Douglas-fir, western
hemlock, western red cedar, madrone, rhododendron, salal,
Oregon grape, huckleberry, and bracken. Annual
precipitation ranges from 18 to 30 inches. The average
annual air temperature is about 50¡F.
The above 32F growing season ranges from 200 to 260 days,
and the above 28F growing season ranges from 260 to 300
days. These soils are associated mainly with Agnew,
Alderwood, Cassolary, Carlsborg, Clallam, Dick, Everett,
Kitsap, and Sinclair soils.
In a representative profile
in a wooded area, about 3 inches of needles, leaves, twigs,
and decomposing organic matter cover the surface. The upper
10 inches of the soil is dark-gray and dark-brown gravelly
loamy sand. Below this, to a depth of 26 inches, is dark
yellowish-brown gravelly loamy sand. The underlying
material consists of two dark
grayish-brow-n
layers. The upper layer, between depths of 26 and 44
inches, is gravelly loamy sand, and the lower layer,
between depths of 44 and 60 inches, is very gravelly sand.
Most of the Hoypus soils are
wooded. Besides production of trees, other important uses
are limited pasture, home gardens, and home sites.
Hoypus
gravelly loamy sand,
0 to 15 percent slopes
(HuC).
This nearly
level soil is on rolling glacial moraine terraces. In most
places slopes range from 6 to 12 percent. Representative
profile on south side of road in SW1/4NE1/4NE1/4 sec. 16,
T. 26 N., R. 1 W.:
O1- 3 inches to 1 inch,
needles, leaves, bark, and fragments of wood
O2- 1 inch to 0, black
(5YR 2/1), partly decomposed organic matter from needles,
leaves, bark, and fragments of wood; strongly acid; abrupt,
wavy boundary. (1/2 to 1 4 inches thick)
A2- 0 to 1 1/2 inches,
dark-gray (10YR 4/1) gravelly loamy sand,
gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak, fine, granular structure; soft,
very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and medium
roots; 35 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt, wavy
boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
B21ir- 1 1/2 to 10 inches, dark-brown (7.5YR
4/4) gravelly loamy sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) dry;
reddish-brown (5YR 4/4) stains and coatings on surfaces of
pebbles; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many
fine and medium roots; 45 percent gravel; medium acid;
clear, wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
B22ir- 10 to 26 inches, dark yellowish-brown
(10YR 4/4) gravelly loamy sand, light yellowish brown (10YR
6/4) dry; single grained; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic;
common fine roots; iron and manganese stains on some
pebbles; 40 percent gravel; medium acid; clear, wavy
boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
C1- 26 to 44 inches,
dark grayish-brown (10YR 41/2) gravelly loamy sand, light
brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grained; loose,
nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; 45 percent gravel;
medium acid; abrupt, wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C2- 44 to 60 inches,
dark grayish-brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly sand, light
brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grained; loose,
nonsticky, nonplastic; 60 percent gravel; medium acid.
The A2 horizon is dark-gray
to dark grayish-brown gravelly loamy sand or sandy loam.
The B2 horizons are dark-brown or dark yellowish-brown
gravelly loamy sand to gravelly fine sand. They are 35 to
70 percent gravel. The C horizons are dark-gray or dark
grayish-brown gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly loamy
sand. In places at depths below 40 inches, there are
compacted or weakly cemented layers. The B and C horizons
are medium acid to slightly acid. Included with this soil
in mapping are small areas of somewhat poorly drained heavy
silt loam.
This soil is somewhat
excessively drained. Permeability is rapid. Roots penetrate
to a depth of more than 60 inches. This soil holds 2 to 4
inches of water available for plants. Runoff is slow to
medium, and the hazard of water erosion is slight to
moderate.
This soil is used mainly for
production of trees, recreation areas, and rural summer
home sites. About 10 to 15 percent of the acreage is used
for growing permanent pasture, hay, and home garden crops.
Capability unit VIs-1; woodland group 4f2.
Hoypus
gravelly loamy sand,
15 to 30 percent slopes
(HuD). This hilly
soil is on glacial outwash terraces where they converge
with the steep ravines and drainageways. Included with this
soil in mapping are small areas of somewhatpoorly drained
heavy silt loam. Runoff is medium, and the hazard of water
erosion is moderate. This soil is used mainly for producing
trees and for wildlife habitat and recreation areas.
Capability unit VIIs-1;woodland group 4f2.
Rough Broken Land (Ro)
In most areas surveyed there
are places where the soil material is so rocky, so shallow,
or so severely eroded that it cannot be classified by soil
series. These places are shown on the soil map and are
described in the survey, but they are called land types and
are given descriptive names. Rough broken land is a land
type in the Jefferson County Area.
Rough broken land (Ro and RY)
consists of marine bluffs along the Pacific coastal strip
of western Jefferson County and along Admiralty Inlet and
Hood Canal in eastern Jefferson County. They are 80 feet or
more high, about 100 feet or more wide, and have slopes of
50 to 120 percent. Slopes of less than 65 percent are
generally covered with vegetation, and slopes of more than
65 percent are generally bare and subject to frequent
landslips. Winter high tides and storms along these steeper
bluffs frequently undermine their bases, causing land to
slide down from above.
This land type is used mainly
for wildlife habitat. Capability unit VIIIe-l; not assigned
to a woodland group.
These areas are on very steep
coastal bluffs that are subject to severe and very severe
landslips and water erosion.
Coastal Beaches (Co)
Coastal beaches (Co & CW)
consist of sandy and gravelly sloping beaches in long,
narrow strips. They are at the base of coastal bluffs or
lowlands bordering the Pacific Ocean in western Jefferson
County and along the Straits of Juan de Fuca, Admiralty
Inlet, and Hood Canal in eastern Jefferson
County.
Coastal beaches have no
vegetation and are subject to continual wave action during
high tides and storms.
This land type is used for
clam and oyster production andfor recreation areas and
wildlife habitat. Capability unit VIIIw-1; not assigned to
a woodland group.
Tidal Marsh (Td)
Tidal marsh (Td) consists of
nearly level, extremely wet,salty, or brackish areas within
the overflow limits of hightides. Soil materials in most
places are deep deposits of heterogeneous river alluvium
that are continually saturated with salt water. No soil
formation has taken place. These mixed materials are gray
or greenish gray and mottled. Capability unit VIIIw-1; not
assigned to a woodland group.
SOURCE: McCreary, F. R. 1975. Soil Survey of Jefferson County Area, Washington. USDA Soil Conservation Service; Washington Agricultural Experiment Station.
REMARKS: Soil classification changes of 2000-2005 are due to recent amendments to soil taxonomy, and were not used on this page because McCreary is so widely used. However, you can download the combined text of the updated NRCS Official Soil Series for Kala Point. Alternatively, you can access the Natural Resources Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Official Soil Series Descriptions.