Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

WHATCOM (Continued)
Plate 43 Whatcom soil profile (Luvisolic Humo-Ferric Podz
These soils have developed in clayeyglaciomarine sediments w h
have a variable, usually thin, silty eolian capping on the surface . T
have a clay enriched layer 50 cm or more below the surface ln th e
photo, this layer begins at about 3 ft. (90 cm).
General Soil Description : In uncleared aras, Whatcom soils usually have up to 5 cm of organic (mainl y
t deciduous) forest litter on the soil surface . This is underlain by about 15 cm of dark reddish brown, very friable ,
soft. weakly structured, silty material containing variable amounts of hard, spherical concretions . (In cultivated
areas the surface consists of about 20 cm of friable, dark brown to dark reddish brown, silty material) . This i s
771 underlain by about 40 cm of reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, friable, weakly structured, silty materia l
containing occasional concretions . Under this is a leached layer about 15 cm thick that is brown or grayis h
brown, moderately blocky, firm when moist and contains common to many, strong brown to reddish mottles .
Under this, in turn, is a zone, about 40 cm thick, of grayish-brown or dark grayish brown, clay enriched, strongl y
blocky, very firm, silty to clayey material which contains, few to common, brownish or reddish mottles in th e
upper part and common clay flows on and in peds . This zone gradually grades to dense, massive, dark gray ,
unweathered glaciomarine sediments at about 150 cm depth which fracture conchoidally and have dar k
coloured coatings on the fracture faces . Soil reaction varies from strongly or very strongly acid in the upper 7 0
cm to slightly acid or neutral at about 120 cm . Soil classification is usually Luvisolic Humo-Ferric Podzol: a few
areas of Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol are included where the clay-enriched subsoil layer is only weakl' ,
developed .
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