Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

LANGDALE SOILS (LE)
Location and Extent : Langdale soils occur only on the lower mountain slopes of the Sunshine Coast, mainly
between Gibsons and Sechelt . There are about 2420 ha of pure map units and 1910 ha of Langdale-Cannell soi l
complex .
Topography and Elevation : The topography of Langdale soils is mainly moderately to steeply sloping wit h
slope gradients between 5 and 30 percent . Some small, gently sloping or hilly areas also occur . Elevation s
range between 250 and 700 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Langdale soils have developed from moderately coarse textured glacial til l
overlain by variable depths of similarily textured, moderately stony slopewash . The surface, subsurface an d
subsoil textures are mostly sandy loam with some variation to gravelly sandy loam or loamy sand .
Soil Moisture Relationships : Langdale soils are well to moderately well drained . They are rapidly perviou s
in the surface and subsurface layers . This changes to moderately or slowly pervious in the lower subsoil due t o
the presence of discontinuous, weak to moderate cementation and dense, compact unweathered glacial till .
Water holding capacity is low to moderate and surface runoff is slow . Temporary downslope telluric seepage i s
usually present in the zone above the cementation or above the dense till during periods of heavy rain o r
snowmelt .
General Soil Description : Langdale soils usually have 5 to 10 cm of variably decomposed, organic fores t
litter on the mineral soil surface . Under this is a gray, discontinuous, leached, friable, sandy layer up to 5 c m
thick . This is abruptly underlain by about 30 cm of yellowish-brown to reddish-brown, friable, sandy material
containing a few weakly cemented pockets . Underneath this is yellowish to brownish, friable, sandy materia l
which varies to firm in weakly to moderately cemented, discontinuous lenses and pockets . A few reddis h
mottles are also present . Below about 100 cm, grayish, compact, unweathered glacial till occurs which contain s
a few reddish mottles in the upper soil . Soil reaction usually varies from extremely acid in the upper part t o
moderately acid in the lower subsoil . Soil classification is mostly Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol . Some small area s
of Orthic Ferro-Humic Podzol are also included at the upper parts of the elevational range . Scattered areas of
Duric Humo-Ferric Podzol are also present where the cementation in the subsoil is well developed .
Commonly Associated Soils : Cannell, Capilano and Golden Ears soils often are closely associated wit h
Langdale soils . Cannell soils differ from Langdale soils by being underlain by bedrock within 1 m of the surface .
Capilano soils usually lie at somewhat lower elevations than Langdale soils and are coarse-textured (gravelly )
while Golden Ears soils occur at higher elevations and have well-developed, organic matter enriched subsur -
face layers and are strongly cemented in the subsoil .
Vegetation : The vegetation of Langdale soils consists mainly of second-growth Douglas-fir, western hemloc k
and western red cedar with occasional western white pine as well as red alder and vine maple . Rooting depth i s
generally unrestricted to at least 1 m .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Agriculturally, Langdale soils are limited by adverse topography ,
stoniness and low water holding capacity. With adequate irrigation (and fertilization) the more topographicall y
subdued areas can produce adequate forage and similar crops . (2) Langdale soils, except in steeply slopin g
areas, are generally suited for urban development, especially if sewage gathering systems are installed . Septi c
tanks may lead to subsoil seepage if they are installed in large numbers . (3) Forest growth is good . Estimate d
mean annual increments of coast Douglas-fir are 9 to 12 m 3/halyr. Droughtiness during the latter part of th e
growing season is sometimes limiting .
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