COVER PHOTO : Looking up Cushing Creek . Extensive avalanche slopes with runcut zones often extending across the valley floor, dramatically characterize this valley . A wide variety of soils occur here as a result of the active geological processes . Two small lakes, in the foreground, described as "plunge pits" are the result of concentrated snow avalanches. BCCMinistry of Environment and Parks MOE Technical Report 10 BIOPHYSICAL SOIL RESOURCES AND LAND EVALUATION OF THE NORTHEAST COAL STUDY AREA, 1977-1978 JARVIS CREEK-MORKILL RIVER AREA Report No. 41 British Columbia Soil Survey Robert Maxwell, P. Ag. SURVEYS AND RESOURCE MAPPING BRANCH Victoria, B.C. March 1987 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Maxwell, Robert, 1942- Biophysical soil resources and land evaluation of the northeast coal study area, 1977-1978, Jarris Creek-Morkill River area (MOE technical report, ISSN 0821-0942 ; 10) Supplement to : Northeast coal study preliminary environmental report . Bibliography : p . ISBN 0-7718-8436-2 1 . Soils - British Columbia - Jarris Creek Region . 2. Soils - British Columbia - Morkill River Region . 3 . Land use, Rural - British Columbia - Jar is Creek Region . 4 . Land use, Rural - British Columbia - Morkill River Region . I . Environment and Land Use Sub-committee on Northeast Coal Development (Canada) II. British Columbia . Surreys and Resource Mapping Branch . III . Title . IV . Title : Northeast coal study preliminary environmental report . V . Series . S599 .1 .B71439 1986 631 .4'7'7112 C84-092192-6 © Copyright 1987 . B .C. Ministry of Environment & Parks First Printing 1987 . Frontispiece : Looking east towards Mount Ovington at the southern end of the Hart Ranges in the Rocky Mountains . Receedlng glacial Ice expose fresh deposits of calcareous moraine, here new soil surfaces begin the processes of weathering . Soils along the mountain ridges are complex, rubbly frost heaved knolls lie adjacent to rich meadow sites with dark turfy surfaces . Soils of the upper forested slopes are podzolized, often being calcareous at depth. The area is subject to deep snow cover and cool summers . iv ACIWOWLEDGEMENTS Special thanks are extended to field personnel Tom Ovanin, Marilyn Hunter, Ruth Hardy and Purna Mahrajan, who assisted In the preparation of the terrain and soil maps. Sincere appreciation Is extended to Terje Vold for writing the earlier sequel report, Vold, T., R. Maxwell and R. Hardy (1977) from which much of the Information and format was extracted for this report . Appreciation Is extended to Greg Cheeseman for writing the climate section of this report. The British Columbia Pedology Unit, Agriculture Canada, especially Terry Lord and Keith Valentine, Is also gratefully acknowledged for assistance In soil correlation . Special appreciation Is given to H. A. Luttmerding for field correlation and helpful advice during the course of this project. Also acknowledged are his editorial advice and review. Acknowledgments are due to Andrew Harccmbe and Adolph Ceska for soil-vegetation correlation, to Vi nce Osborne and staff for providing the iaborafory analyses, and to Jennifer Butler of the Drafting unit. Appreciation is extended to Barbara Webb for the word processing of this report. ABSTRACT East of Prince George, British Columbia, 820 000 ha of mountainous soils were mapped and described at a reconnaisance level of information (1 :50 000 scale) and generally provides the physical data necessary for forestry, engineering, recreation, wildlife and agricultural Interpre tations at the regional planning level . The surficial geology was mapped using the Terrain Classification System (ELUC Secretariat 1976) and provided the primary base for soil classifica- tion and soil mapping at the soil association or soil subgroup level using the 1973 (revised) Canadian System of Soil Classification . Fifty soil profiles were sampled and analysed according to McKeague, J. A., editor, (1978) . These analyses provided the technical data necessary for most soil Interpretations . The project area encompassed parts of the Rocky Mountain Foothills, Rocky Mountains, Rocky Mountain Trench, McGregor Plateau and Cariboo Mountains. The parent materials of soils sampled and described were originally derived from sandstone, siltstone, limestone and quartzite ; as well as materials derived from mixtures of sedimentary and metamorphic bedrock origins . Notable areas of environmental concern were Identified, specifically, numerous large valleys floored with deep, extensively gullled and highly erodible lacustrine sediments . Forest zones identified in the study area Include the Interior western hemlock - western red cedar zone ; Interior western red cedar - white spruce zone; Subboreal white spruce - alpine fir zone ; Subalpine Engelmann spruce - alpine fir zone and the Alpine tundra zonel . iBiogeoclimatic zonation, as it relates to this biophysical classification can be found in Table 2.7 . PREFACE This technical report has been prepared for the Northeast Coal Study . It is a technical supplement to the Northeast Coal Study Preliminary Environment Report, 1977 - 1978 and as such is a component of a broad environmental study to gather baseline data to assess environmental Impacts of the northeast coal and associated developments . The study was requested by the provincial government's Environmental Land Use Sub-Committee on Northeast Coal Development . This report presents the biophysical soil baseline information which includes terraln maps, soil maps, soil analyses, soil descriptions and Interpretations for the engineering, forestry and recreational aspects of soils. The data, analysis and interpretations that are contained within this technical report and map series will assist In the development and implementation of a rational resource management policy . In addition, the information presented here should provide a base for a more systematic understanding of the physical and biological components of land and water systems . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FRONTISPIECE . fit ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IV ABSTRACT . v PREFACE . of TABLE OF CONTENTS . ., . vfXf LIST OF FIGURES . T LIST OF PLATES . v LIST OF TABLES . f LIST OF MAPS . Ofxv f CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION . I 1 .1 Introductfon . 1 1 .2 Locatfon . 2 1 .3 How To Use The Sofl Maps And Reports . *so . 3 CHAPTER TWO A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE JARVIS CREEK - MORKILL RIVER MP AREA . 5 2.1 Regfonal Clfmate . 5 2.2 Physfographfc Regfons . 10 2.3 Bedrock Geology . 12 2.4 Recent Geologfcal Hfstory . , . 15 2.5 Vegetation-Forest Zonatfon . so .* . 16 2.6 Regfonal Sofl Resources . . ., . 25 CHAPTER THREE DESCRIPTION OF THE SOIL ASSOCIATIONS, THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND COMMENTS ON LAND USE . 31 3.1 Mapping Methods And Sofl Survey . , . ., . ., . .sees 31 3.2 Sofl Assocfatfon Descrfptfons . , 39 Abbl Mountain Sofl Assocfatfon (AB) . 40 Babette Sofl Assocfatfon (BB) . . ., . ., . . 42 Barton Sofl Assocfatfon (BT) . 44 Bastille Sofl Assocfatfon (BS) . 46 Beauregard Mountafn Sofl Assocfatfon (BG) . 48 Becker Mountafn Sofl Assocfatfon (BC) . , . 50 Bedrock Map Units (RK) . 53 Blue Lake Soil Assocfatfon (BE) . 54 Bowes Creek Sofl Assocfatfon (BW) . 56 Bowron Sofl Assocfatfon (BO) . 58 Catfish Creek Sofl Assocfatfon (CC) . 60 Chief Sofl Assocfatfon (CF) . , . ., . 62 Cushfng Sofl Assocfatfon (CS) . 64 Dezafko Sofl Assocfatfon (DZ) . 66 Domfnfon Sofl Assocfatfon (DO) . 68 Dudzfc Sofl Assocfatfon (DC) . ., . . 70 Ffve Cabin Creek Sofl Assocfatfon (FC) . 72 Footprfnt Sofl Assocfatfon (FT) . 74 Fontonfko Sofl Assocfatfon (FN) . ..