LOCATION ASRIAVIK AK

Established Series
MJS/MPS
11/2024

ASRIAVIK SERIES

Depth class: very deep
Drainage class: well drained
Parent material: herbaceous organic material over gravelly loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landscape: river valleys
Landform: terraces
Slope: 0 to 15 percent
Mean annual precipitation: about 400 mm (16 in)
Mean annual air temperature: about -3 degrees C. (27 degrees F.)
Frost-free period: 75 to 90 days

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive Fluventic Haplocryepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Asriavik very gravelly silt loam in a white spruce woodland with a lichen understory community on an east facing linear, concave tread on a slope of 5 percent at an elevation of 137m (450 ft)

Oi--0 to 6 cm (0 to 2 in); slightly decomposed plant material; very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) moist, brown (7.5YR 4/3) dry; many very fine and fine roots throughout; neutral (pH 6.6); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 13 cm, 2 to 5 in thick)

Oa--6 to 28 cm (2 to 11 in); gravelly highly decomposed plant material; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) moist, dark reddish gray (7.5R 4/1) dry; common very fine and fine roots throughout; 30 percent gravel; neutral (pH 7.0); clear wavy boundary. (11 to 24 cm, 4 to 9 in thick)

Bw1--28 to 37 cm (11 to 15 in); very gravelly silt loam; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist, brown (7.5YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common fine roots throughout; common fine irregular pores; 50 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 30 cm, 2 to 12 in thick)

Bw2--37 to 65 cm (15 to 26 in); extremely gravelly sandy loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common fine irregular pores; 70 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.1); clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm, 4 to 12 in thick)

2C--65 to 200 cm (26 to 79 in); extremely gravelly loamy sand; dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; nonsmeary; common very fine irregular and fine interstitial pores; 75 percent gravel; noneffervescent; neutral (pH 7.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey Area, Alaska; latitude 64.2691007, longitude -160.1133513, datum WGS84, UTM north 7127473.43 and UTM east 446070.03, zone 4, datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture regime: udic
Soil temperature regime: cryic
Mean annual soil temperature: 0 to 3 degrees C. (32 to 37 degrees F.)
Thickness of organic material: 15 to 37 cm (6 to 15 in)
Thickness of folistic epipedon: 15 to 37 cm (6 to 15 in)
Thickness of cambic horizon: 16 to 60 cm (6 to 24 in)

Oi and Oa horizons:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: slightly decomposed material, highly decomposed material or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragments: 0 to 34 percent
Organic matter: 35 to 90 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

Bw1 horizon:
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 to 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 20 to 70 percent
Silt: 22 to 78 percent
Clay: 2 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 59 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 10 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

Bw2 horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silt loam, sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Sand: 25 to 65 percent
Silt: 23 to 71 percent
Clay: 4 to 12 percent
Rock fragments: 50 to 75 percent
Organic matter: 1 to 4 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

2C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5 moist, 6 or 7 dry
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loamy sand or its gravelly analogues
Sand: 71 to 89 percent
Silt: 3 to 28 percent
Clay: 1 to 8 percent
Rock fragments: 40 to 80 percent
Organic matter: 0.1 to 3 percent
Reaction class: moderately acid to neutral (pH 5.6 to 7.3)

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Elevation: 25 to 275 meters (80 to 905 feet)
Parent material: herbaceous organic material over gravelly loamy alluvium over sandy and gravelly alluvium derived from metamorphic and sedimentary rock
Landform: terraces
Slope: 0 to 15 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 400 to 500 mm (16 to 20 in)
Mean annual air temperature: -5 to -1 degrees C. (23 to 30 degrees F.)
Frost free period: 75 to 90 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aginaktuk, Alliksuk, Jacksoncreek, Kiuriruk, Niilgik, Oldwomanriver, Quekilok, Shovelcreek, and Sprucecreek soils.
Aginaktuk soils have aquic conditions starting between 0 and 25 cm, have a reduced matrix starting within 70 cm (28 in), lack a folistic epipedon, lack a cambic horizon, have an organic surface thicker than 40 cm (16 cm), and occur on depressions on terraces
Alliksuk soils have an ochric epipedon, have cryoturbation, have redox concentrations starting within 130 cm (51 in), have a coarse-loamy particle size class, and occur on similar landforms on terrace treads
Jacksoncreek have aquic conditions starting between 0 and 25 cm, have a reduced matrix starting within 40 cm (16 in), have a histic epipedon, have cryoturbation, have a coarse-loamy particle size class, have an isotic mineralogy class, have an acid reaction class, have a gelic soil temperature regime, and occur on terrace treads and earth hummocks on terrace treads
Kiuriruk soils have permafrost, have aquic conditions starting between 0 and 25 cm, have a reduced matrix starting within 50 cm (20 in), have a histic epipedon, lack a cambic horizon, have a coarse-silty particle size class, have a nonacid reaction class, have a gelic soil temperature regime, and occur on similar landforms on terrace treads
Niilgik soils have permafrost, have aquic conditions starting between 0 and 25 cm, have a reduced matrix starting within 40 cm (16 in), have a histic epipedon, have cryoturbation, lack a cambic horizon, have a coarse-silty particle size class, have an acid reaction class, have a gelic soil temperature regime, and occur on mountainbases and footslopes
Oldwomanriver soils have an ochric epipedon, have redox concentrations starting within 30cm (12 in), have a coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal particle size class, have occasional, brief flooding, and occur on flood plains
Quekilok soils have aquic conditions starting between 0 and 25 cm, have a reduced matrix starting within 100 cm (39 in), have a histic epipedon, lack a cambic horizon, have a coarse-loamy particle size class, have a nonacid reaction class, have frequent, long ponding, have occasional, brief flooding, and occur on depressions on flood plains
Shovelcreek soils have an ochric epipedon, lack a cambic horizon, have a sandy-skeletal particle size class, have rare flooding, and occur on flood plains
Sprucecreek soils have a sandy particle size class and occur on similar landforms on terrace treads

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: very high in the Oi and Oa horizons, moderately high to high in the Bw1 and Bw2 horizons, and very high in the 2C horizon
Permeability: rapid to very rapid in the Oi and Oa horizons, moderate to rapid in the Bw1 and Bw2 horizons, and rapid to very rapid in the 2C horizon
Runoff: low to medium

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: wildlife habitat, recreation, and subsistence
Native vegetation: reindeer lichen, greygreen reindeer lichen, splendid feather moss, black crowberry, white spruce, bog blueberry, red fruit bearberry, sphagnum, meadow horsetail, star reindeer lichen, dwarf birch, marsh Labrador tea, Bebb willow, tealeaf willow, nearrowleaf saw-wort

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 240, Nulato Hills-Southern Seward Peninsula Highlands. The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Wasilla, Alaska

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nulato Hills - Continental Divide and Blackburn Hills Soil Survey, Alaska, 2024.

REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this profile include:

Particle-size control section: 31 to 106 cm (12 to 42 in)

Folistic epipedon: 0 to 28 cm (0 to 11 in) (Oi and Oa horizons)

Cambic horizon: 28 to 65 cm (11 to 26 in) (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)

Lithologic discontinuity: 65 to 200 cm (26 to 79 in) (2C horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA:

User pedon ID: 2021AK180800

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.