Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

COLUMBIA SOILS
Location and Extent : Columbia soils occupy substantial areas on the uplands of the Lower Fraser Valley .
The largest areas are in the Columbia Valley south of Cultus Lake . in the vicinities of Peardonville and Hopington ,
- South of Langley and in Glen Valley. There are about 3330 ha of pure map units and 2370 ha of soil complexe s
dominated by Columbia soils . The complexes are mostly with Abbotsford . Lehman . Defehr and Peardonville
Soils .
Topography and Elevation :
The topography of Columbia soils is usually level to gently undulating w,tr i
_ f slope gradients below 5 percent . Scattered areas are strongly sloping or strongly rolling with slopes to 2 0
-Lori percent and, along terrace scarps, slopes may rise to over 60 percent . The soils mainly he between 30 and 10 0
m above sea level but range to 200 m above sea level in the Columbia Valley .
Plate 16 Columbia soil profile (Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol). These soils have
- - developed in gravelly glaclofluvial deposits . Sometimes a thin layer (less than 1 5
,
cm thick) of silty eolian material is mixed into the surface
Parent Material and Texture :
Columbia soils have developed from deep. coarse-textured . stratifie d
glaclofluvial deposits, usually with a thin (less than 20 cm thick), silty . eolian veneer mixed into or on the surface .
Surface textures range from loam to gravelly loamy sand but sandy loam or gravelly sandy loam are mos t
common . Subsurface and subsoil textures are gravel or gravelly sand and contain some sand lenses . Stones
and cobbles are common throughout .
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